


Steal a Horse, Save a Cowboy

by AgentCodywolf



Series: Wild, Wild West [4]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: AU-Bogue got Rose Creek, Chisolm leads his merry band of Bounty Hunters after him, Emma Cullen didn't get the help in time, Faraday gets into trouble, Faraday has a limp, He just wants a nap is all, Jack the Horse is a good Friend, Like Faraday being a big of a Grandpa, Mentions of Rape, OOC tendencies from a few, Seven never formed, mentions of body mutilation, mentions of torture, possible triggers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-08-31 03:12:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 34,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8561368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentCodywolf/pseuds/AgentCodywolf
Summary: Joshua Faraday figured his string of bad luck that had started with getting jumped and nearly killed well over a year ago was finally coming to an end. Until he finally met the man who paid him, Bartholomew Bogue, who he had somehow pissed off in the span of three seconds. Now he's not only on the run with the man's horse, but he's being chased by a group of Bounty Hunters who's interest in him may not be all that it seems. He just wanted to settle down and play some cards. Was that too much to ask for?





	1. The Cursed Man and the Devil Horse

Joshua Faraday never meant to take the horse. He never meant to leave Bogueville in the first place, actually. He made good money working the bar in town, gimp leg only slowing him down every few days or so. He’d figured his life was over after a failed run-in with some old enemies and he came away with his right leg barely taking his weight. He had spent a few days in the local doctor’s backroom, sharing the space with a Blackstone. The man had found his magic tricks amusing and found his skill with a gun impressive, even with the gimp leg. When he rode out to join back up with his fellows, he brought Faraday along.

Faraday found out that the Blackstone worked for a man named Bogue, whom Faraday had heard of in passing. He was cold hearted, cruel and was worth his weight in gold. Faraday couldn’t give himself time to think too much about taking this man’s coin and when the Blackstone, named Roberts and happened to be high up in the ranks, said he got Faraday working bar and keeping an eye on the hired workers for the man’s mine.

Listening to the chat from the workers and what passed as the locals, this place used to be called Rose Creek before Bogue rode in and paid the people to leave. There was a little fight there near the end, but Bogue still got the town. Faraday was really making a point of not thinking about his current employer.

Speaking of which, the man was never in Bogueville. He had an estate out in San Francisco he spent a lot of time at, according to Roberts. He only came out every so often to check on the mine, the town and the ranch where he raised horses for his own pleasure. They were spirited animals, a mix of some the wild horses that used to roam around here and some pleasure breed Bogue had brought from out East.

Roberts had brought him out to see them around a month ago, complaining about a new stallion the men were trying to break. Bogue had sent them the horse and was coming to see their progress in a few weeks. It had been a gift from a supposed friend. The beast was the devil with hooves. He had some fancy name, but Faraday had it on good authority that all the men called him Jack. He’d perked up at the new face, but went back to killing the men who tried to ride him. Faraday found it rather entertaining and that said something about his current state of mind. He hadn’t been able to kill anyone in over a year.

The man who ran the stable in town had made a special stirrup for his gimp leg when Faraday had complained to him once late at night. The people in town had first been wary of the new barkeep, especially with his mean eyes, quick tongue and the twin pistols he wore where ever he went. But after a few days, they’d warmed up to him and started talking more freely around him. The stable owner had made the stirrup and kept a gentle mare to the side in case Faraday wanted to go riding if he had time. Roberts brought him out to target practice with some of the Blackstones. The tanner had made him a new pair of boots, the one for his right foot adjusted to ease some of the pain in his legs.

That didn’t change the fact that he had been hired for Bogue and a lot of the locals were still wary because of his relationship with the Blackstones. He couldn’t let that go, though, seeing as they were his security here. And thanks to his connections with the Blackstones, he had ample warning for when Bogue rode into town. Although, the people not so subtly fleeing the bar was also a warning in and of itself.

Bogue wasn’t much of a man, or at least not as much of a man as Faraday was expecting. The way the people talked about him, he was expecting someone more imposing and less slimeball. But, slimeball works just as well. He appeared friendly enough, but slightly tense shoulders and the tightness to his eyes were tells of someone who was ready for anything. He gripped his cigar loosely and examined the room with a well-practiced eye. He was arrogant, swaggering into the saloon with a little too much ease.

“So, this is the barkeep my men keep telling me about,” Bogue strolled his way as Faraday cleaned a glass. He kept the bar spotless when he worked and he ragged on the others when he didn’t and came back to a mess. He’d been on the other side enough times to know what helped sell the booze.

“May I help you, sir?” Faraday met his eyes coolly, years conning people out of their money and other valuables making it easy to keep his face blank.

“I don’t think you have anything in stock that I would consider to be worth my time,” Bogue smiled and it was cruel in its intent. “My men speak highly of you, a mere barkeep. I’ve done my research on you, Joshua Faraday. Should I be concerned you’ll run off with my money?”

Faraday had worked here for over a year, the longest place he had stayed since he was a child. He had to force down the urge to shoot this man as he shrugged, trying to be casual, “Nothing for you to worry about, Mr. Bogue.”

“I would think not. Gimp in a leg? I bet that has to be embarrassing,” Bogue laughed and so did his men with him, including Roberts in the back. Faraday tried not to feel hurt about that, but the man had been acting like a friend. He had gotten complacent here, it was time to wake up.

“An unfortunate accident, Mr. Bogue. Only slows me down a little,” Faraday grabbed up a cloth and started wiping down the bar. Bogue’s hand flashed out, gripping his tight and holding him in place.

“You can tell me more about it tonight, over dinner,” Bogue’s grin had gotten colder. “Maybe see how you do against my men. Maybe see how you do against a horse.”

He wasn’t even given a chance to decline, Bogue sweeping out of the bar in a blink of an eye, his men following. He thought about making a break for it then, his gut telling him that Bogue was dangerous, but Roberts and a few others stayed behind. They led him out of the bar around five and had the mare all ready for him outside. They weren’t letting him run. At least they hadn’t taken his guns yet.

Dinner was a blur, Bogue’s men loud around the table, grabbing at the serving girls and leering at the ones they couldn’t. Faraday found himself seated right next to Bogue, forced to endure the man all evening long. The beer ran freely and that was probably Faraday’s only saving grace for the night. The men got louder and rowdier. But also sloppier. When he excused himself to use the bathroom well into the night, only one man followed. He was easy to take down, so drunk he had to lean on Faraday all the way out. He hid him in the tall grass and made his way to the stable.

His plan had been to take the mare and go, but someone had untacked her and put her out in the pasture. There were a few horses in stalls and Jack the Stallion was tied out in the yard, pawing at the ground, ears pinned back. It was his stupid gambling tendencies that made him do it, but he approached Jack with his tack over his arm, his free hand stretched out as he talked softly to the horse. Jack snapped his teeth at him, but Faraday didn’t flinch. Jack seemed pleased at that, in his own way, and turned to offer his back. Jack wanted to be away from that cursed town as much as he did it seemed.

Faraday quickly tacked him up and swung into the saddle, tugging gently on the reins to turn the horse out towards the open fields around the town. They just needed to put some distance between them and Bogueville before they could make a plan. He left the reins loose as well, feeling how smart the horse was between his legs as Jack adjusted to the awkward leg on his right. How long this relationship lasted would depend on the horse. If he decided he was done with the human on his back, Faraday knew that he had no hope of stopping the horse.

A shout came from the back of the house and Faraday knew his luck was running out. He gave Jack a good kick just as the front door of the house flew open, revealing a murderous Bogue. Faraday met his eyes for a second as the man brought up his gun before Jack was lunging forward, all power in his legs. Faraday heard the shot but focused on keeping astride the horse, one hand on his hat as he leaned forward, trying to adjust his stance to help Jack out. He heard more shots, but they were farther away and then more shouts.

“I’ll find you, Faraday! And I’ll burn you!” was the last thing Faraday made out before they were flying across the grass, the moon bright overhead. He held on for dear life, watching the town fly by as Jack made for the open plains beyond. He kept his grip on the reins purely to make sure he didn’t lose them, but he let Jack decide where they went. It felt like flying, leaning low over Jack’s neck, wind whipping at his face.

Faraday glanced back over his shoulder and couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. The town was just a little glimmer of light behind them. He looked back forward, catching an ear twitching back towards him. He responded with a loud whoop, smiling wide. He hadn’t felt this free in a long time.

He felt Jack’s muscles bunch up underneath him and that was his only warning to hold on as the horse jumped over a small creek. This was flying now, nothing beneath Jack’s feet. He closed his eyes, the hand on the reins coming up to grip the pommel as he savored the moment. He used to ride horses all the time, stealing them sometimes when he felt like it. A good horse could be your best friend and he was always looking for one. Molly, his last horse, was a big black mare, stocky as they came and hard in the mouth. She turned at the right moment to take a shot from the boys trying to kill Faraday, but it killed her. She also fell on his leg, breaking it in three places while already bleeding for a gunshot wound on his hip. She’d been a good horse, but getting up there in years. Jack reminded him of her, head all his and eyes that spoke of the devil.

They finally had to return to earth and the jarring motion of Jack getting his feet under him brought a new concern to Faraday’s attention as pain stabbed through his side. He dropped his hand from his hat, knowing the strap would catch it around his neck if it decided to fly, and pressed it to his left side. It came away wet with blood.

“Shit,” he hissed, pressing his hand back to his side. There wasn’t much he could do while they were running, but once Jack decided to stop, he’d get a better look. For now, he’d just have to hope he didn’t bleed out.


	2. A Town Called Sanctuary

Jack finally slowed down what seemed like hours later. It was probably a lot less than that, but Faraday had been focused on not falling off for most of it and when you have a hole in your side and a gimp leg, its not a fun event. The horse came to a standstill in a small grove of trees by a small stream, the moon still high in the sky. Faraday carefully slid off the horse, keeping a firm grip on the saddle till he was sure his good leg would hold him. It had been a long time since he had ridden that much and he knew he was going to feel it come morning. For now, he needed to focus on patching himself up and taking stock of what he had.

The saddle was the first thing he took care of, followed by the bridle. Jack shook his head before wading into the stream, dipping his head down to take a long drink. Faraday laid the equipment down on the ground by a tree and sat on the bank so that he got some light from the moon to check the wound. He pulled his jacket, vest and shirt away to check the damage and let out a breath of relief. The bullet had just grazed through his side, nothing more than a flesh wound from what he was seeing.

He’d need to find a town and get stocked up, but for now he tore his shirt up for bandages and wrapped the wound up tight. His vest and jacket would do for now. He had some of his shirt left, so he put his vest back on and tied the left over shirt around it, adding some more padding to the bandage underneath. By this point, Jack had wandered back over, nibbling at some grass nearby. Faraday eyed him for a second before sighing and shifting down closer to the water and getting a quick drink after washing his hands.

He dug through the pockets of his jacket before pulling it back on, emptying everything out of them as well as the pouches on his belt. He had enough ammo on his belt for now, but he’d need to get some extra just in case. His guns were in good condition, so he didn’t worry about Ethel and Maria much. He kept his coin on him out of habit, part of it tucked in his boot, part of it attached to his belt and part of it inside his jacket, so he was good on coin. He collected it all and split it in half this time, tucking one half into his boot and the other into the pouch on his belt. He had a small bottle of whiskey in his vest pocket and his deck of cards in his jacket. He didn’t have any food on him, but he figured he could find something out here to eat if he needed to.  

He shuffled his way back up to his saddle, not even trying to stand, knowing his leg wouldn’t hold. He shifted the saddle around till it was on somewhat comfortable ground and pulled the saddle blanket over himself. He looked over at Jack, who had stopped eating to look at him quizzically. Faraday rested back on the saddle, “Wake me in the morning.”

Jack huffed at him as Faraday pulled his hat down over his head and closed his eyes. A few hours of sleep and he could move on. Looks like it was back to the drifter life. Hopefully the wanted poster would wait at least 3 days before showing up.

#

Jack did not wake him up the next morning, but thankfully the sun did. He’d shifted in the night, knocking his hat off his head so that when the sun peaked over the horizon, the first few rays woke him. He sat up slowly, body stiff from the ride and gunshot wound from yesterday. Pain radiated outward from his side and his gimp leg, but it wasn’t unbearable. A sip of whiskey or the whole bottle and he’d be good to go.

He rubbed at his eyes as he took stock of his surroundings. Jack was down by the stream, ignoring Faraday for the most part. Nothing was on the horizon except some trees. It seemed they were at the edge of a small forest. Sun was rising on his left, so they were hopefully south of Bogueville. There should be small farming community out this way if he remembered correctly. He could stop in, get patched up and resupplied before moving on.

Faraday took a big swig of the whiskey he had left and stuffed it back in his pocket before putting his belt back on and slowly getting up. Yep, his leg was going to kill him. He breathed through his nose once he was standing for a moment before turning to Jack, who was looking back at him now, facing Faraday straight on.

“Ok, Jack. Either we keep this partnership up or I’m finding a new horse. What’s it gonna be?” Faraday asked as he slowly took a step forward, shifting his weight carefully and testing his gimp leg. Jack threw his head a little, snorting. Faraday held out his hand, cocking an eyebrow, “We a dramatic fella, aren’t we?”

Jack snorted again before moving forward till his nose was pressed against Faraday’s hand. Faraday could see in Jack’s eyes that he was a smart horse. He knew what he wanted and if he didn’t much care for Faraday, he’d leave the human in his dust. Understandable, all things considered. Faraday nodded, patting Jack’s nose before leaning down to grab the saddle blanket, “Well, at least we have each other.”

It didn’t take nearly as long as Faraday feared it would to tack up Jack. The horse stood still for him, was perfectly behaved. Faraday still remembered the day he watched the men worked with Jack. That horse hadn’t let anyone touch him, had bashed a man’s skull in with his own hooves. The foreman had wanted to kill Jack right out for that, but the leader of the Blackstones had stepped in and reminded the foreman he was being paid to break the horse, not kill it. Nothing the men had done had broken Jack’s spirit. So what was so special about Faraday?

“You are one strange horse, Mr. Jack,” Faraday shook his head as he led the horse over to a nearby rock. He wasn’t getting on by himself, not for some time. Rock’s would work for step ups for now at least. Jack stayed still as Faraday got himself in the saddle and didn’t move till the man tapped his heel’s against the horse’s sides. Then he moved forward at an easy walk, letting Faraday adjust before picking up a brisk trot. They’d eat ground but not tire themselves out and not leave a lot of dust, which was perfect for Faraday.

“There should be a town nearby. I’ll see a doctor and the mercantile and then we can be on our way,” Faraday said easily, reins loose in his hand as he leaned on the pommel. Jack’s ears twitched back and Faraday laughed, “Us humans have needs, Mr. Jack. You’ll get used to it in time, I’m sure. If not, well, I can’t blame ya. We are a curious bunch. Get our panties in a twist every time some fella comes through who looks a little different than us. My momma used to tell me they had the devil in them. She had the devil in her and she was a white woman, so what does that say about us, huh? Not saying I’m devote or nothing, just I know the difference between a saint and a devil. It’s all in the eyes. A man can have the devil in him and still be a good person, and a man can be a saint and still burn a town. No one way about it.”

Jack just snorted back at him, picking his way through the wild land around them. The town came into view a few hours later, just when Faraday’s stomach was starting to make a ruckus. He picked up some of the slack in the reins as they drew into the town proper. Not too many folks were out, even at this hour in the morning. The sun wasn’t quite halfway up but it was getting close. A few deputies were sitting on the porch of the sheriff’s office and nodded at Faraday as he passed. He made sure to nod back. There were a few more people sitting outside the saloon and a few horses and buggies tied up outside the mercantile. Thankfully it looked like the doctor’s office was right next door to the mercantile, so short trip overall.

Faraday maneuvered Jack next to a post between the mercantile and the doctor’s office and slowly dismounted, trying his hardest not to show weakness. Might be a farming community, but they still had their fair share of troublemakers. Jack could get him into more trouble than he could himself. He patted Jack’s neck before tying the reins loosely to the post, “Let me get my business done and we’ll be on our way.”

Jack side-eyed him before cocking a back leg and looking bored with the world. Faraday took that as his sign to go. And when had his life gotten to the point where he was personifying a horse? Maybe the real question was when had he started understanding horses better than people?

Faraday decided to not question his life for the time being and headed into the doctor’s office, pulling his hat off as he went. There wasn’t much to the front room, just some chairs for waiting and a table pushed against a wall. A bell rang as he opened and a voice called from somewhere in the back, “Be right there!”

Faraday decided against sitting down and leaned against the wall, keeping an eye on the street just in case. He didn’t want to stir up anything but his luck seemed to be on the downward swing right now. Boots clicking on wood drew his attention back inside as a young man came out from a side room, wiping his hands. He held one out as he drew level with Faraday, “Doc Hudson. What can I do for you?”

“Joshua,” Faraday shook his hand. “I don’t mean to bring you trouble, Doc, but I could use some help.”

Hudson eyed Faraday’s sidearms before looking back up into Faraday’s eyes, “You come from Bogueville?”

“How’d you know?” Faraday tensed, withdrawing his hand.

“You aren’t the first person in here needing help who just left Bogueville,” Hudson gestured towards the entry way he’d just come out of. “No one’s ridden through since early this morning. Three men, looking for a horse thief. Sheriff said he’d be on the lookout, but he’s not looking too hard. We’ve had enough runaways from there that we have a system set up. Though normally its families or women coming through. Few men this way.”

“Which way they’d head?” Faraday followed Hudson back through the doorway, which turned out to lead into examination room.

“Back towards Bogue. Must’ve figured you hadn’t gotten this far. Now why is that?” Hudson moved to a cabinet, pulling out supplies. “The leg?”

“That’s old news. Not much you can do for me on that one,” Faraday carefully pulled himself up on the table, pulling his jacket off. “Got me in the side. Through and through, far as I can tell. Nothing vital but stitches might help.”

“They know they hit you?” Hudson turned and helped unwrap the wound, setting the vest and bandages into a waste bin and probing the wound.

“Don’t think so,” Faraday hissed and tried not to flinch away. “Might’ve figured the horse threw me. Hasn’t let anyone ride it till I used him to escape. Killed a man two weeks ago, too.”

“Well, that might just do it,” Hudson pulled away to get what he needed. “I’ll stitch it up and get you a clean shirt. When we’re done, head on over to the mercantile and tell Johnson I sent ya. He’ll set you up right and let you know where’s safe to go for now.”

“Once the wanted poster is out, not too many safe places are gonna be out there for me,” Faraday braced himself as Hudson got the needle ready. At Hudson’s questioning eyebrow, Faraday elaborated, “The horse is Bogue’s. I’m his former barkeep.”

“Well, that does put a pickle in things,” Hudson let out a low whistle. “I’d ride for Volcano Springs if I were you. A few caravans leave from there heading farther west and either south or north, your pick. Be easy to disappear for a while at least.”

“If you all are so used to seeing this,” Faraday waved a hand at his side. “Then how come nothing has been done?”

Hudson was silent as he started stitching, letting Faraday get used to the feeling, “Probably around seven stitches should do you fine. And as to your question, plenty of us towns have. We aren’t fighters but we tried to send Rose Creek help. Bogue made it all legal by the time the Marshals rode in. He’s cruel, but Bogue doesn’t lift a finger that the law can see. Without real proof, the man can do as he pleases. So we do what we can for now, help those we can and pray for those we can’t.”

“What happened to the people who lived in Rose Creek?” Faraday winced at the tug of the string in his side.

“The ones that got out went to the four corners of this country and never looked back,” Hudson sounded sad. “Bogue burned the church and left people dying in the streets. Those left only stayed long enough to collect the money Bogue offered before leaving. A few tried to fight but it did them no good.”

“Bogue is a cruel man,” Faraday nodded sadly. “Not too many people left who remember Rose Creek.”

“And Bogue made sure of that,” Hudson tied off the last stitch. “I’ll pack it tight for now and send some stuff with ya to change the dressing. Take it easy if you can. Need me to take a look at that leg?”

“Don’t really think I have time for you to cut it off,” Faraday kept his arms up as the doctor wrapped the wound. “Bones didn’t set right and buckshot still lodged in my hip. I don’t think I have time right now for you to fix all that.”

“No, you probably don’t,” Hudson turned and cleaned his hands before digging into a drawer and pulling out a clean shirt. “Take it easy, Joshua. Ride for Volcano Springs and I wish you the best.”

“What do I owe you?” Faraday pulled the shirt on and reached for his jacket.

“On the house. Maybe if you can, ride back through and let me know you’re ok,” Hudson held out his hand. “I was one of those Rose Creek people, Joshua, I know the look of a man running.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Faraday took the hand and shook it firmly while also taking the supplies offered with his free hand. “You look after yourself, ok?”

“You, too, Joshua,” Hudson smiled and just watched Faraday leave. Faraday left some coin on the chair nearest the door as he left anyway. Kind as the man was, Faraday wasn’t going to short a man, especially in a town like this. Probably got paid with chickens or something.

He stopped by the mercantile and told Johnson, the shopkeeper, what Hudson told him to. The man set him up with two sets of shirts and pants as well as under clothes, three new vests and a spare jacket for half price. He had a set of saddle bags already prepped, said he saw Faraday when he rode in and filled them. Said there was enough supplies to last him a week or so in the wild. Faraday also picked up some more ammo, another piece of flint, two knives, a spare blanket and a sewing kit just in case. The doctor’s supplies went in the emptier of the saddle bags, which wasn’t saying much. Faraday made sure to add a few coins to the final price and wouldn’t take them back. The townsfolk were risking themselves for him, a man they knew nothing about. He wasn’t going to see another kind face for some time possibly.

Jack didn’t mind the bags much, but took them all the same. Two in front, two in back and the blankets tied down on top of the two in back. Faraday made sure everything was secure before climbing into the saddle, giving the little town a once over. He wasn’t sure its name, but he wouldn’t forget it. The West normally took everything from a man, but these people were proving that you could still be decent. If he could, he told himself as he headed farther west and south towards Volcano Springs like Hudson and Johnson suggested, he’d come back make sure no more people running from Bogue ever had to run through that town.

He’d never liked bullies himself, tried to be a decent gentleman when he could. Faraday swore to himself that day that Bogue’s days were numbered. He wasn’t sure how, but he had a feeling Volcano Springs might have the answer.


	3. An Aptly Named Town

It took him almost two weeks to get to Volcano Springs. It should have only taken one, but the second town he rode through he spotted his wanted poster before someone spotted him and took off for the hills as casually as he could. He’d had to make his way through the wilderness, only getting close enough to towns to see which one they were and place himself on the map. He got lost three times, but he’d avoided the Blackstones sent after him and a few bounty hunters. He grabbed a poster off one of the ones he’d had to kill and was a little offended by his appearance. Jack hadn’t been amused at all when Faraday had spent a whole morning complaining about the differences and the amount of money that was on his head.

“$3000 on my head, Jack! For stealing you! What did I do to piss the guy off?” Faraday threw up his hands, obviously annoyed. They were camped outside Volcano Springs, a good few hours ride but within sight, easily at night with the lights of the town. He planned on riding in early in the morning, doing a perimeter check before riding in. It’d be early enough in the day that he could hopefully get out and have some daylight to run if need be but not too early to hit any parties going out.

“If there was something I would get a big bounty from, it should not be this! I’ve killed as many men as Billy the Kid! I just didn’t advertise like he did. I wanted to live and enjoy life and now I get this. I get this stupid fucking bounty, over you! How is that even fair?” Faraday flopped back against his saddle, glaring up at the dark sky. Jack just snorted from where he was standing a few feet away, obviously not amused by the human’s minor tantrum. How could a horse be so judgey?

“All we gotta do is find whoever this Cullen is tomorrow, hook up with a caravan and we’ll be fine. Either that or we head for Mexico. Or Canada. Which one do you prefer?” Faraday glanced over at the horse. Because he was trying to hide, he hadn’t lit a fire but thankfully the moon was out. Jack had his head down, looking like he was trying to sleep but one eye was focused on him. Yeah, the horse was definitely judging him.

“I did not sign up for this,” Faraday flopped back again, glaring up at the sky. “I’ve never actually signed up for anything. I avoid signing things. That means there’s a paper trail and they could find me. Which they can anyways, but it makes it easier. If my name is attached to something, it can be used against me. Very dangerous for someone in such a situation as me, you know.”

Jack just snorted again, stomping a hoof and shifting a bit. Faraday got the horse’s point, or assumed the horse was trying to make a point. They had a long stressful day tomorrow and Jack wanted sleep. Well, seeing as Jack carrying most of the weight around here, literally, he deserved some rest. So did Faraday, for that matter. Two weeks of riding, not letting his body rest, was taking its toll on him. He kept pulling out stitches at least once a day, having to use the supplies the doc gave him to do his own patch job each night. The edges were at least healing, but every time they got chased somewhere, he ended up reopening the wound.

And if it wasn’t his side, it ended up being his leg. There was a reason he hadn’t been riding a lot in the past year or so since the accident.  With three spots in his leg that weren’t healed right and the buckshot still in his hip, it was hell on a good day. He’d been doing some strength stuff with it before, finding that exercising it lightly helped ease the muscles. But this hard day of riding stuff threw that all out the window. He’d thankfully figured out how to make it look like he was bow legged instead of gimp on the right side. It was a weakness that could be exploited, one that he could not allow. He knew he was pushing his luck, that one of these days it was just going to seize up and there would be nothing he could do, but until that happened he had to keep going. It was the only way he saw of getting out semi whole.

He closed his eyes and pulled his hat down. Sleeping on the ground may not be comfortable, but at least he could sleep. It was the little things, he needed to remind himself all too often. It was the little things that were going to equal up to one big thing. Hopefully really soon.

#

Volcano Springs was aptly named, even though Faraday wasn’t sure why people expected it to relate to some landmark. Volcano Springs was situated on a crossroads, known to lawmen and outlaws a like. Everyone was peaceful for a time at least, but sometimes tensions boiled over and well…the name of the town. From his check this morning, it seems pretty peaceful. He still remembers riding through many a time over the years and knowing how quickly that can change. It’s a town built partially out of tents and there’s a very good reason for that.

Faraday rides into town just after 10 in the morning. He’d watched a few groups ride out that morning and felt at least a little comfortable riding into town now. There’s a crowd over at the coral and as much as he would like to see what’s going on, he’s not in the mood for trouble today. He’s spent the last two weeks on the run, he’s hoping for at least one quiet day. So he rides in and stops near some other riders who are leaning forward in their saddles to see what all the ruckus is about.

Turns out its some sort of duel. Mostly everyone is crowded around the one side and Faraday places them supporting the stereotypical farmer closest to them. He’s got a good stance, but his wannabe cowboy hat and rusty spurs tell a different story. Faraday hopes that the duel isn’t to the death. The poor guy will die.

The other member of the duel is some little Asian man. And by little, Faraday means compact. His clothes are nice but he can see the creases that speak of use. He’s comfortable in his skin that only a trained killer can be. Faraday is starting to feel really bad for the farmer. On the fence, just sitting like a cat in the sun, is a man cleaning his nails with his knife. His clothes are impeccable, so he must be with the Asian. No offense to the farmers, but seriously its like the guy walked out of some bigwig country club down south. Either a lawman or a former one from way he’s holding himself. Possibly military at some point as well. Faraday is staying away from them for sure.

The first round goes to the Asian, as Faraday expected. Thankfully not to the death and he’s about ready to ride away before anyone gets a good look at him when the idiot farmer claims that the Asian cheated. Faraday saw the farmer try to cheat, so that’s a load of bull. Probably just some anti-everything that isn’t white bullshit. So he’s going to be dead.

When the Asian dropped his belt, Faraday actually laughed. Ballsy move, but it was just for show. He saw the amount of knives attached to the belt. Probably one up his sleeve or something that he’d throw. He just wasn’t expecting the hairpin. Perfectly thrown to hit the heart and Faraday was more than impressed. Any other day, he’d walk over and see what those two were about. They’d be good to have around in a fight, but seeing as he was a wanted man, he figured it was time to move.

Just as he was turning Jack in towards town, he caught the white man, who had hopped off the fence and was collecting money, glance his way. Damn, time to move. Behind him he heard one of the men complain for the briefest of moments. Another man spoke up and he caught a name that turned his blood cold.

Goodnight Robicheaux.

He was a dead man now. Robicheaux was a well-known sharpshooter. Former confederate officer, he’d taken up the law after the war and headed west. Faraday had heard rumors he’d become a marshal and that’s what he was really worried about.

He could outrun Blackstones for years. Glorified bullies with a brain in their head was what they were. He could run circles around them and be fine. It was men like Robicheaux that he was more worried about. Might not be in it for the money, but they were sure in it for the glory. He was two weeks in to a man hunt over a horse and a big bounty. If that didn’t pull out some guns for hire from retirement, Faraday would be worried. He’d come this far without spotting a lawman, but it looked like his luck was really running out.

He was supposed to meet Cullen at the caravan tent, but he was almost afraid to. He glanced back over his shoulder a few times as he rode through town till he spotted the right tent, but no one was following him as far as he could tell. Hudson had promised to send a letter a head to let Cullen know he was coming. He hoped it would be enough. He needed a friendly face to at least point him in a direction. He wasn’t sure he was going to get that though.

He stopped Jack by the hitching post outside the tent and dismounted, but left the reins looped over the horn. He wasn’t going to tie Jack up, not if he wanted to have a quick get-away. Plus, Jack would just kill anyone who tried to steal him. It was a win-win for both of them. Jack nudged his head against Faraday’s shoulder and Faraday patted his nose as he walked around front of the horse, “Be ready to run, Mr. Jack. I don’t like the look of these people.”

He didn’t say who, but Jack didn’t need to know. He’d just know. There was a Mexican across the way, smoking a cigar and watching the street absently. His eyes strayed over Faraday, but he had a bad feeling about the man. He had a bad feeling about this whole town, but he was starting to feel desperate. That was never a good thing. Desperate Faraday did stupid things, like double cross partners, get his horse killed and leg mangled.

He forced himself to appear casual as he entered the tent, taking in the crates piled around haphazardly. A bear of a man was sitting just inside the entrance, looking to be asleep. More bear than man in appearance, what with all the fur he was wearing. Faraday wasn’t counting him out though. Things could change real fast. A woman was at the only counter space in the tent, going over what appeared to be a ledger. Two more men were towards the back, working on some crates. One was younger, white and overeager. The other was a middle aged black man, dressed all in black and with an air of danger about him. Now Faraday really wanted to run, but he couldn’t without drawing suspicion.

He made his way to the woman at the counter, leaning against the wooden surface casually as she looked up at him. She was young, pretty even, but there was grief in her eyes that spoke volumes. She straightened up, meeting his eyes with ease, “Can I help you, sir?”

“I was wondering if you had any jobs on your caravans, Ms. Cullen,” the slight widening of her eyes told Faraday he had picked the right person. Hudson hadn’t said who Cullen was, just that he would know when he needed to know.

“I might have something. Anywhere in particular?” Ms. Cullen turned a page in her ledger, but didn’t look down.

“Anywhere really,” Faraday shrugged, shifting a little so that when she glanced down, he could glance outside of the tent. Robicheaux and his Asian friend had joined the Mexican in smoking across the street. Faraday felt his stomach sink and he glanced over at the men in the back. The black man was looking at him, eyes unreadable. Dear lord, he needed to run.

“I might have something going to Mexico tomorrow,” Ms. Cullen broke into his thoughts and Faraday drew away from the counter.

“Never mind, ma’am. I need to be going,” Faraday moved quickly, far faster than he hoped any of them were expecting. Hudson had promised Cullen could be trusted, but money could be a funny motivator. The bear man stood, but Faraday slipped by him, whistling as he went. Jack turned and moved so he was standing by the steps so Faraday could use it as a boost. As soon as his foot hit the stirrup, Jack was moving. He was into a slow canter before Faraday’s butt hit the saddle, but he didn’t care. They’d practiced this on their journey and Faraday felt confident in his ability to do this. He wouldn’t have come into town if he wasn’t.

He heard a shout behind him, but as soon as Jack hit the town limit, he was kicking his heels in and holding on. He trusted Jack to get him away again, trusted that the horse would get them someplace safe. He glanced back once, but no one was following. At least, not yet. But with a man like Robicheaux in the group, Faraday had no doubt he was in for a lot trouble. And with the Mexican possibly involved, he wasn’t heading towards Mexico any time soon. Looks like it was going to be Canada. He’d see how many miles were between him and it once they stopped. For now, he’d just hold on and pray to whoever was listening that he’d be safe.

He had a pretty good feeling that he wasn’t, but he was choosing to ignore it.


	4. Running from the Devil

Faraday rides well into the night, constantly checking behind them, ahead and side to side. He even doubles back a few times once they get turned north. As much as Faraday was not the fan of the cold, Canada was his only option right now. He wonders if Hudson knows that Cullen is working the other side now or if it will be a rude surprise when he finds out.

They need him alive, though, to get the payout from Bogue and Faraday plans on using that to his advantage. They won’t risk a shot if it might kill him where he won’t have any such concerns. Although with a man like Goodnight Robicheaux chasing him, things might be a little bit dire. Last he had heard, Robicheaux was running with Samuel Chisolm, a black warrant officer and bounty hunter. Possibly the black man in the tent that was watching him before he took off. Chisolm had supposedly formed a band of skilled men to bring in bigger bounties. Rumors said it was Chisolm, Goodnight, Goodnight’s man servant (which if that was the Asian, Faraday had a thing or two to tell people), and a few other characters. Supposedly a Comanche, a former wilderness guide and an outlaw. If the rumors were true then Faraday was screwed.

Jack was the one who decided it was time to stop, slowing as they came across a small pond. It was late into the night, the moon was high and there was no sign of life around them. Faraday didn’t want to stop, but he felt the weight of the day bearing down on him. His emotions had ranged from panic to anger and anything between that didn’t venture anywhere near peace or happiness. If this was karma coming back around, it felt like just a bit much in his opinion. He didn’t think he had done anything to warrant this at all. So he had killed a few guys over the years. He’d never killed or hurt a woman or child though so that had to count for something. He’d never ridden with a gang and he kept most of his dealings honest. Mostly.

Faraday sighed before pushing up on the pommel and swinging his right leg over. He swore as he did so, his leg resisting the entire way. Maybe he should never get off Jack ever again. That wouldn’t be fair to him, though. Jack liked to roll in the sand too much for Faraday to take that away from the horse. Of course, the saddle was probably staying on for the foreseeable future, at least till Faraday was sure they wouldn’t have to make a quick getaway. Maybe he should just steal another horse and let Jack go. At least give the great beast a chance at a decent life. He’d probably enjoy it.

Jack shifted a little, reminding Faraday that he was standing with one foot in the stirrup, weight on his hands on his saddle, his right leg hanging uselessly. If that wasn’t a good representation of right now, Faraday didn’t know what was. He carefully shifted his left foot out of the stirrup and lowered himself down. His arms were shaking a little once he was sure his left leg would at least hold him. He leaned against Jack a bit as he loosen the cinch a bit to let Jack rest a bit, but didn’t remove the saddle. He wasn’t planning on staying long. He took the bridle off, though, and hung it from the horn of the saddle. If they needed to run, he’d just tighten the cinch and go. Jack would know where to go and wasn’t that something, that he trusted a horse so completely but most humans he would prefer to shoot instead of interact.

“Mr. Jack, I think I have officially lost it,” Faraday sighed, patting Jack on the shoulder before limping slowly a little ways away before flopping over. “Not that I had it to begin with, possibly. But I’m just coming to the realization that it’s gone. And just so you know, I have no idea what it is but it seems to be a common thing.”

Jack just snorted at him, stepping closer to the pond and taking a long drink. Faraday sighed again and let himself fall backwards so he was looking up at the sky, fingers finding their way into his flesh in his right hip, trying to loosen up the muscles there for a little bit. The stars twinkled mockingly back at him and Faraday took a moment to flip them off before giving up on his leg and letting his hands fall to his side. He was not built for chases anymore, this was going to be literal hell. He wasn’t even going to look at his side. Might as well have a nice scar from all of this mess anyway.

Jack shifted back over by him once he was done drinking, looking down at Faraday with bored eyes. Of course the horse didn’t care he was having a mini crisis here, “You are the worst, Mr. Jack. A little sympathy would be nice.”

Jack just shook his head and took to looking at the horizon. Well, that’s just rude is what that is. Faraday made himself sit up, glaring at the horse, “You are the rude, too. Just so you know.”

Jack obviously did not care what Faraday thought of him, because he didn’t not acknowledge Faraday at all. Just kept staring at the horizon. Faraday grunted at the horse before flopping back to the ground.  A few hours of sleep and they could get going again. And then they could only hope something good would come their way.

#

From there it was just a series of events scheming against them. Faraday spotted the first rider the third day out of Volcano Springs. The rider stayed a ways back, but Faraday knew they were there. He got his first good look at the rider the next day when they got a little too close and Faraday took a few shots at them to scare them off. It was a Comanche, riding without a saddle. He backed off, but kept following as far as Faraday could tell.

They didn’t stop from then on unless they absolutely needed to, like pee or drink breaks or quick cat naps. Faraday had already felt himself flagging by then and now this panicked rush was draining him even more. He fell asleep a couple times on Jack’s back, but he managed to stay on for most of them. Till the last time.

It was around day seven out from Volcano Springs. The Comanche had fallen back even more, but had been joined by at least two more riders. Faraday’s vision was a little iffy, so he couldn’t be sure. His right leg was one giant tense muscle and he’d finished off the last of his whiskey and pain pills two days again. He’d padded up his side and hadn’t looked at it since day two. Jack was faring better, as far as he could tell. The horse had lost some weight, but he kept up their pace with ease, picking his way across the wasteland and skirting around towns before Faraday even realized they were there.

It was coming on early afternoon and Faraday was struggling to keep his eyes open. The world seemed to be swimming and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the heat or the exhaustion. Jack had slowed down, going at a snail’s pace, seeming to sense Faraday’s distress. After nodding off a few times, Faraday gave him, slumping forward in the saddle. Unlike the last few times, Faraday could not keep his balance in his sleep and started listing to the right. Jack tried to correct to catch his rider, but it was no good and so the horse stopped so that he would not step on his rider once Faraday fell. And fall he did, right in to the dirt.

The impact woke Faraday briefly, blearily looking up at Jack as the horse turned to look at him. Faraday could’ve sworn there was concern in the horse’s eyes, “Its alright, Mr. Jack. We made a good go at it. You run along. I’ll be fine.”

He couldn’t tell if his words were slurring, but he didn’t care. He was well past feeling much of anything as he lay in the dirt. He lost focus for a while, coming back to the sound of hooves approaching. He opened his eyes to still see Jack standing over him, now looking at something else though. Faraday forced himself to roll over to watch three riders approaching them. It was the Comanche that had been following him, the black man, Chisolm, and the Mexican from Volcano Springs. Faraday shakily reached for Ethel and pointed her at the men, hand surprisingly still.

The Comanche and Chisolm stayed where they were, but the Mexican had started to dismount. He stopped, watching Faraday cautiously, “Easy there, guero. You look like you need some help.”

“Back off,” Faraday hissed, head still spinning. “I know why you’re here and it ain’t to help me. So keep riding before I put a nice hole through your head, amigo.”

“Now, Mr. Faraday,” Chisolm shifted in his saddle a little and Faraday pointed Ethel at him, pulling Maria out and pointing at the Mexican, possibly actually a Texican. “We mean you no harm. How about putting those pistols away and come with us.”

“I know who you are, Sam Chisolm, and I’ve never known you to not hurt the men you hunt,” Faraday forced himself to sit up, which might have been a bad idea because the men before him seemed to double. He gritted his teeth, feeling his arms growing heavy, “Now ride off.”

“We can’t really do that, Mr. Faraday,” Chisolm slowly lifted his hands, the Comanche and the now dubbed Texican following suit. “Seems we’re at an impasse.”

Jack snorted from behind him and Faraday ducked in time to dodge the fist coming for his head. He got a glimpse of the Asian that was with Goodnight before another fist actually connected with his head. He heard Jack scream in anger before everything went dark.


	5. Help, Thy Name be Confusion

When Faraday eventually surfaced, he felt like shit. He hurt everywhere and his leg felt like a dead log filled with knives. He grunted, trying to shift away from the pain but found resistance when he did. Where was he? Where was Jack? What had happened after….

Faraday’s eyes flew open, taking in the dark sky above him through blurry vision. A face shifted into his line of light and he jerked away, or tried to. The resistance he had met earlier turned out to be hands holding him down. He tried to throw his arm out to punch the person holding him, but found them tied together. Ok, he could work with that. He swung both hands this time and connected with the person holding him. There was a grunt of pain and the face and the hands holding him disappeared. He sat up and scooted away, wildly scanning his location.

He was somewhere out in the wilderness, so at least that hadn’t changed. There was a fire going close by, nice and big and wow, its warm. That’s a nice change. Oh, and there were men sitting around it, all watching him warily. Well…not so good then. Faraday eyed them all warily back, seeing as it was only fair to. He recognized all of them from the group with Cullen in Volcano Springs and realized how much shit he was in.

Before he could properly react, the hands were back, trying to force him to lie back down. He swung his hands again, but the person was ready this time and caught them before they could connect with him again. It was the Texican and he looked pissed. Faraday glared right back, or tried to but felt like it might be failing a little seeing as the guy didn’t even flinch.

“Are you done trying to kill yourself?” the Texican snapped, grip tight on Faraday’s wrists.

“Fuck off, amigo,” Faraday snapped and, wow, that was his voice. Sounded a little like he gargled gravel.

“Look, as entertaining as it was having your horse trying to kill us and you trying your best to be as unhelpful as ever,” Goodnight Robicheaux appeared over the Texican’s shoulder, a nice bruise on his cheek and looking mildly annoyed. “We’re here to help you, so calm yourself, boy.”

“Help me? HELP me?” Faraday realized he was sounding a little hysterically, but honestly who was going to blame him. He’d just spent the past three weeks running for his life and the last week of that literally running. He was tired and sore and he just wanted to sleep for a week, “You’ve chased me across this godforsaken wilderness for a week and you want to help me? You have me tied up! And where is my horse?!”

“Well, he doesn’t appear any calmer, Goody,” someone called from the other side of the fire, almost laughing. That was Chisolm, “Red, go get the horse before he panics too much.”

A grunt came in reply and the Comanche, Red, got up and disappeared behind some rocks that Faraday had completely missed being there. Dear God, he was slipping something awful. Before he could panic any further, Goodnight cut in, “I see that, Sam, so shut up. Mr. Faraday, we tied you up because you kept hitting us while passed out. While I applaud your survival instincts, I was getting tired of you and your beast trying to maim us. Plus, you kept pulling out the nice stitches our Jack was so nice to put in you. After he treated the infection you’d picked up because of your stupid dash across the desert.”

“You were chasing me!” Faraday snapped. There was the sound of metal on leather and the Texican was holding a knife. Faraday stilled, eyeing it warily as the Texican moved the blade forward. To Faraday’s surprise, he cut the rope tying Faraday’s hands together, then the hobble they’d put on his feet. His right leg was wrapped up tight in blankets for some reason and he pressed his hands immediately to his side, finding the thick padding there easily through his shirt. He blinked slowly at the Texican, confused and a little impressed.

“What the hell, Vasquez?” Goodnight took a step back, sounding annoying.

“You all weren’t helping,” the Texican, Vasquez, snapped, keeping his eyes on Faraday. “I apologize for my friends, they’re used to hunting wanted men, not men in need of some help. They also are still pissed at your horse. Promise not to run?”

“Don’t think I could,” Faraday forced out, sizing him up cautiously. “Why’d you cut me loose?”

“Because I have a good idea what’s going through your head,” Vasquez leaned back on his heels, hands resting easily on his knees. “Yes, we know about the outrageous bounty. No, we are not here to make good on it. We were all there that day because Miss Emma was worried about you being followed. We didn’t figure you’d make any of us.”

“How the hell not?” Faraday snorted, then winced when his side complained.

Vasquez clucked at him, eyes darting to Faraday’s side, “Careful, that infection did on number on your side. Had to reopen what was healed to clean it out. Our man, Horne, is good at healing though so if you take it easy, you’ll be fine. But to answer your question, Hudson told us you were the barkeep from Bogueville. You were kitted out with weapons, but we figured it was just for show. Faraday isn’t a common name around in the West and last we heard, the infamous Joshua Faraday was dead. Figured you were just using his name or it was a coincidence.”

“Wait, people thought I was dead?” Faraday felt his eyes going big. He had been wondering over the last year why trouble hadn’t shown up since Bogue had pulled into town.

“Last any of us had heard, you’d had a pretty bad shootout. Details were vague, but from what got back to us lawmen, everyone involved was dead,” Chisolm called from where he sat. “Assuming the leg was from the shootout?”

“Yeah, yeah it was,” Faraday took in everyone again, looking at them with new eyes and lots of confusion. “So you weren’t tracking me for the bounty?”

“Son, we go after men with a real problem with the law, not someone who stole a horse from a whiney brat,” Goodnight laughed as Red appeared again, leading a docile looking Jack, mouth muzzled in a cloth bag. The horse immediately perked up, dancing a little until Red just let go of the lead and the horse nearly ran Sam and the Asian over to get to Faraday. Jack immediately shoved his head against Faraday’s chest, possibly trying to convey that Faraday was never allowed to leave him because he hated putting up with anyone else.

“Its alright, Mr. Jack,” Faraday soothed, rubbing his hands over the horse’s head before quickly slipping the bag off of Jack’s head. The horse lifted his head and shook it, careful of Faraday before turning his head to give the six new people the evil eye. Vasquez stayed where he was, but Goodnight took another step back. Faraday just reached up and pulled the head back down, rubbing his hands all over the horse’s face, “Easy there, Mr. Jack. I’m sure these men are terribly sorry for inconveniencing you.”

Vasquez laughed as both Goodnight and Chisolm made noises that sounded a little annoyed. Faraday didn’t care, he was trying to figure out where his saddle and guns were for a quick getaway. Jack was looking well rested, so he was good to go. Faraday just needed to shake off the rest of the exhaustion he was feeling and he would be good to go.

“I’d stop that thought right there, friend,” the Asian spoke up, breaking Faraday’s thoughts. He let Jack pull away so the horse could move to stand behind and a little over him, probably glaring at everyone. The Asian glanced at the horse before focusing on Faraday, “Billy, by the way, Billy Rocks. You try to run, we’ll only track you down again. Or Bogue’s men will find you.”

“And who says they won’t find me with you?” Faraday glared at him, watching him play with a knife.

“Why would white men think another white man would be with men like us?” Red spoke up from where he was leaning against one of the rocks.

“Horne and myself not counting, of course,” Goodnight spoke up, gesturing to the bear man. Well, at least he had a name for everyone. Goodnight carried on, “And we’ll give back your guns once you won’t shoot us in the back. We have heard of you, Mr. Faraday.”

“I was looking for the day a bounty would come up for you,” Chisolm added. “Not because I hated you or anything. From the rumors I heard, you would have been a fun one to chase. And you have been, up until your horse here tried to kill me.”

“He’s not my horse. He’s not anyone’s but himself,” Faraday snapped. “And why should I trust you not to turn me over to Bogue the first chance you get? And ex-confederate sharpshooter, an Asian assassin, the Texican with a gun problem, the black man trying to play at law, the bear of a man and a Comanche. Ya know what, Mr. Jack likes you so you’ll be ok I guess, Red. The rest of you, though. You hunt men for a living and you expect me to just trust you.”

“Bogue killed my family,” Chisolm spoke up, standing and moving around the fire as he opened his shirt. He waved Goodnight off when the man started to speak and continued, revealing a nasty scar around his neck as he did so, “And strung me up to die. I would never condemn another man to the fate, no matter how much I hated him. And I don’t necessarily hate you just yet.”

“Miss Emma was out looking for us when Bogue took Rose Creek,” Vasquez took over, nodding to Chisolm solemnly. “She watched her husband get gunned down in the street for no reason other than speaking up. She wanted revenge and we were too late to give it to her. We’re doing what we can now to help her help others who Bogue is screwing over.”

“She’s got a case going right now, with the Marshalls, that Bogue is terrorizing other communities to steal their land too. The Marshalls are stepping in, getting judges to ride out and put a stop to it before he can go too far. They almost have enough to lock the man up with, but they need a little more time. His assets are all tied up, his money is running out and he knows he’s running out of time,” Goodnight sat down by Billy, leaning forward. “And then Hudson wrote us about you. Emma saw you as the final nail in Bogue’s coffin. Bogue knows that if you go to a judge, any of the one’s she’s working with, he’s done for. That’s why the bounty is so high.”

“Good God,” Faraday ran a hand over his mouth. “When he came back to Bogueville?”

“He’d just gotten done at a hearing, restricting his mining permits,” Chisolm nodded. “He was pissed about that. You just planned your theft at the wrong moment.”

“I didn’t steal the horse, he volunteered,” Faraday said faintly, staring at the fire. These people were trying to make things right and he’d gotten swept up in it. What had Bogue been planning that night? “He’d stopped in the bar on his way through town, made some comments. He was calm but…there was something off. He forced me that night to his house for dinner, didn’t leave me alone all day. He kept making comments about setting this right and proving he was in power still. When I saw the chance, I ran. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I had to run.”

“He was looking for an outlet, forced to keep his hands tied while he’s under investigation,” Chisolm nodded sadly. “He’s a cruel man and we forced him to hide it. We didn’t think anyone else would take the brunt of his anger except his men.”

“I think that is enough for tonight, gentlemen,” Horne, the bear man, stepped in, sitting up and watching Faraday with an intense stare. “Our new friend needs rest. His soul and body need to heal before he must bear this all again.”

“Billy and I will take first watch,” Goodnight nodded, standing up and eyeing Faraday for a second. “What gave us away in Volcano Springs?”

“You,” Faraday looked around, blinking slowly as he tried to process what he had been told. “One of the bystanders mentioned your name after the gun fight. And then you were talking with Texican here across the street while I was talking to Cullen.”

“You owe me,” Billy looked a little too happy as he stood, looking at Vasquez. “Pay up.”

“Damn it,” Vasquez grumbled before throwing a small bag of what sounded like coins to the man. At Faraday’s questioning look, he just shrugged, “I thought it was Sam. He stand out more for me than Goody.”

The others moved around the fire, going to bedrolls Faraday had also missed earlier. What was wrong with him? Vasquez muttered something next to him before moving to shift Faraday around and shoving him back against something hard. He turned his head to see that his pillow was in fact his saddle. That’s where it went. Vasquez settled down on his bedroll next to Faraday, stretching out comfortably. He looked at Faraday and shook his head, “Just do as Horne says. You look like death, guero.”

“I can ride,” Faraday glared at him, even as he felt sleep pull at him.

“Doesn’t mean we want to. We’re good here for a few days,” Vasquez pulled his hat down over his head. “I expect you to be there in the morning or else I’ll be mad.”

“Or I’ll just have Mr. Jack kill you,” Faraday muttered, getting an answering knicker from the horse. Vasquez tipped his hat up to eye both of them suspiciously.

“I feel like you’re being serious,” Vasquez sounded a little horrified. Faraday snorted, settling back. Good, he had a card in his hand he could use now. They’re fear of Jack and the horse’s apparent need to protect him. Well, that was something at least. He closed his eyes, wishing he had a blanket right now. Even with the fire roaring, he was feeling a bit of a chill in the air.

Someone draped a blanket over him and Faraday flinched, eyes snapping open. Horne was hovering over him, a soft smile on his face, “You looked cold. You’ll need a few days for the fever to clear out and you will be fine. Rest, we mean you no harm.”

“Ok,” Faraday nodded, a little confused as Horne walked away. He glanced over at Vasquez, but the man looked to be asleep. Faraday figured it wouldn’t hurt to sleep a little. Jack was watching over him, so if they tried anything, the horse would more than likely kill them first. So, he let his eyes slip back closed and pulled the blanket up to his chin. He’d wake up in a few hours and make a break for it. Yeah, that would work.


	6. Running From my Shadow

Faraday woke the next morning and found that the sun had yet to slip over the horizon. It seemed he was still stuck in his cycle of running and sleeping as little as possible. He didn’t mind though, not in this instance. The fire had burned low, even though it looked like someone had added wood overnight. He couldn’t tell who was on watch now, but Vasquez was still in his roll next to him, in the exact same position as before. Faraday slowly sat up, wincing as he side complained. There was no way he was going to be able to lift his saddle like this. He could still try though.

Jack wasn’t far away, watching him closely but not moving. He seemed more amused, for a horse. Faraday chose to ignore him, eyeing the blankets wrapped around his leg. Not sure what that was for, but it would only slow him down. His gun belt was gone and he was so not ok with that. Hopefully, though, they hadn’t searched him too carefully. He reached into his boot and yes! He pulled out the knife he had stashed there and quickly cut the rope holding the blankets in place. He then very carefully levered himself into a standing position, going slowly so as not to over strain his leg.

Once he’s standing, Faraday finds he has a problem. Now that he is upright, he realizes that the blankets around his leg was to brace his leg. It seems in his fall, he’d banged up his leg somehow. It was a steady throb now that he was paying attention to it, which he was trying not to. He looked over the group, standing there with most of his weight on his good leg. Everyone but the bear was in their rolls. He must be on watch. As far as he could see, the man was nowhere in sight. Still, getting out of here was going to prove challenging. He couldn’t see his guns, which meant they were hidden. He would like to leave with more than a knife, but it didn’t seem he had a choice right now. First things first, he had to saddle up Jack. No way was he barreling across the plains bareback.

Every squeak of the leather as he lifted the saddle had him looking over his shoulder, but no one moved. Which was surprising, because he figured at least the Asian or the Comanche would be awake. Huh, maybe his luck was finally changing. He got the saddle on Jack, who stood still and kept his eyes on the men around the fire for Faraday. There were a few close calls, Chisolm rolled over and Goodnight muttered something in his sleep, but he got his saddle on Jack. He didn’t go looking for the bridle, just untied the lead from the halter the six had put on his horse and left it at that. He had never really used the reins anyway.

Jack followed him as Faraday made his way around the rock nearest him, hoping to head out without anyone noticing. The horse was surprisingly quiet, but he wasn’t too surprised over it. As he came around the rock, he spotted the bear, Horne, sitting on the ground by the horses, back to him. Sitting at his side was Faraday’s belt, with both his guns. He should’ve kept moving, should’ve just left the guns and made a run for it. But they were his girls. He couldn’t abandon them.

He waved Jack off as he made his way towards Horne, making sure to not drag his gimp leg too much. He breathed shallowly and tried to be as quiet as possible as he flipped his knife over his hand so the blade was pointed towards him. Horne had treated him, anyway. It was only fair he didn’t kill the man. At least, right now anyways.

He made it all the way to right behind Horne before his gimp leg finally let him down. It caught on a rock, knocking it forward a bit and making a little noise as it bounced along. Faraday froze as Horne tensed and turned his head, confusion on his face, “What…Mr. Faraday?”

Faraday lunged forward, slamming his hand down against Horne’s forehead, the hilt making a solid _thunk_ against Horne’s head. Horne tensed before his eyes rolled up and he slumped to the side. Faraday knew he should be worried about how much force he used against the other man’s head, but his grip on the knife had shifted so that the blade was biting against his hand. He swore under his breath as he dropped the knife, holding his left hand in his right as he looked down at the wound. It wasn’t deep, from the looks of it, but it hurt. Hurt like a son of a bitch. Goddamn and holy hell.

Faraday tried to keep his voice down as he knelt in the sand and pulled his belt towards him, digging into a pouch and pulling out the bit of gauze he kept there. He held it against his hand, hoping to slow the bleeding as he reached over to Horne and grabbed the handkerchief he saw poking out of a pocket. He wrapped it around his hand quickly and tied it off with the help of his teeth. It would have to do for now, till he had time to stop and actually look at it. He couldn’t waste time now.

It was awkward getting his belt on with one hand, but he figured it out. The sun was climbing over the horizon by the time he stood. Horne was still on the ground and Jack had made his way over. Faraday had no doubt that the others would be waking up soon and he needed to put some space between them and him.

He didn’t take the time to find something to use as a step up, just got his right leg in the stirrup and forced himself up and into the saddle. He bit his good hand once he was up as his leg screamed at him. God, this was going to be hell. Jack stood still under him, head turned towards his human, waiting for him to give the signal so that they could go and get away from the crazy people. Faraday really wanted to know what his horse had done to make them all hate him, but he hoped he never found out.

He breathed deeply before tapping Jack’s sides with his heels, his good hand leaving his mouth to grip the pommel. Jack started forward slowly, moving away from the camp cautiously. Faraday kept an eye on what was behind them and once he was sure they were far enough away, he tapped his heels once more against Jack’s sides, leaning forward a little and bracing himself for what he was hoping would come.

Jack leapt forward, breaking into an easy lope and covering the ground as quickly as he was comfortable with going without losing his rider. Faraday was starting to realize that he might have been better off back with the strangers, but he wasn’t about to go back now. His balance was shit, his right leg making it difficult to keep himself centered in the saddle and his left hand was held tightly to his abdomen.

They rode for an hour, Jack picking the direction and the pace, slowing from time to time when Faraday started to wobble a little. He wasn’t sure the last time he had eaten or the last time he had something to drink, but he was starting to feel that and the exhaustion. He had a feeling if the six hadn’t caught up with them, Jack was going to dump him into the first body of water then came across and refuse to go anywhere. Faraday really loved that horse, always looking out for him.

Red, the Comanche, was the first one to catch up to them. He was riding bareback on a paint. Jack had looked back, ears up and Faraday had looked back as well. Dust had appeared on the horizon and Faraday swore, tapping his heels against Jack’s sides to urge the horse on. Jack obliged, picking up his pace and heading for a stand of trees on the horizon. They had covered half the distance to get to the trees when Red showed up, barreling past before skidding to a stop in their path, arrow pointed straight at Faraday.

Faraday knew it was kinda stupid trying to run away from those six, had no doubt they all had excellent tracking skills. He still had to try though, which was why, against his better judgement, he drew Maria with his right hand, pointing it at the Comanche, aim sure. They stared each other down, neither blinking. Jack had his head down and ears pinned back while the paint just stood calmly, looking bored. Red moved first, cocking his head to the side before he spoke, “You won’t win this.”

“I can sure as hell try,” Faraday snapped, glaring at the man. “If I’m dead, you lot can’t get anything from Bogue.”

“If you’re dead, we find someone else for a witness,” Red shrugged. “But for some reason, Goody and Chisolm want you alive.”

“Well, that makes things easier, then,” Faraday shrugged before firing, digging his heels into Jack’s sides. Red seemed to have guessed what he was going to do because he had ducked down to the side right as Faraday pulled the trigger. He came back up as Jack went barreling by and launched himself off his horse, taking Faraday off Jack and into the dust. The impact of hitting the ground knocked the wind out of him, giving Red enough time to tie his hands behind his back. Faraday still struggled before Red held a knife to his neck, both of them breaking hard.

“Seriously, the only reason you are not dead is because I like the horse,” Red hissed before pulling away, the knife disappearing as he approached an agitated Jack. He spoke softly, possibly in his native tongue, slowly approaching the horse. Jack snapped at the Comanche, ears pinned back. Red held his hands out to the side, showing he meant no harm. He just stood there, between Jack and Faraday, till Jack finally calmed down, ears still back but only seeming annoyed now. Faraday dropped his head down into the dust, sighing heavily as he listened to the Comanche praise his horse. Well, that sure back fired on him.

Red moved them into the trees before the others showed up, leaning Faraday against a tree near a creek that ran through the trees, both horses left to their own business. Faraday watched, through the trees as a second dust cloud turned into a group of riders. Red had moved up into a tree, watching them as well. Faraday glanced up at him, having tracked his progress so as not to get a scare later on, “I bet its not your men.”

“It is them,” Red snapped down at him. “They’d be here already if you’d been nicer to Horne.”

“I’m not the one who tied me up after knocking me out,” Faraday huffed. “At least I left him loose.”

Red grunted down at him, but didn’t say anything in answer. They stayed quiet till the riders entered the grove, all looking dusty and only a little annoyed. Red dropped down to stand over Faraday as they got close, leaning against the tree and maybe a little smug, “I found him.”

“We can see that,” Chisolm was definitely annoyed, pulling his horse to a stop a few feet away, glaring at Faraday. Vasquez immediately dismounted and stalked over, looking murderous. Red stepped in front of him, pressing a hand to his chest.

“No killing,” Red’s voice left no room for interpretation. It also gave Horne time to dismount, a hat pulled over his head, and moved over to Faraday uninterrupted. Faraday eyed him warily, drawing his good leg up in a semblance of protection.

“Left a mighty good bump on my head, Mr. Faraday,” Horne scolded softly before kneeling down by him and cutting the ropes binding his hands behind his back. Before he could react, Horne was pulling Faraday’s left hand into his lap and untying the handkerchief, “You left your knife behind and a little bit of blood.”

“Yeah, well, I was in a bit of a rush,” Faraday didn’t move, but didn’t relax either. He glanced up as Red moved out of Vasquez’s way, letting the man move forward. Faraday smiled brightly up at him, throwing up an old front to try and throw the others off, “Awww, Texican, were you worried about little old me?”

“There is no such thing as a Texican,” Vasquez snapped, standing behind Horne. “I’d rip you a new one, but Horne wants us to kill you with kindness.”

Faraday felt his smile falter, but quickly bolstered it, “Aw, I knew ya’ll cared!”

“You try and run again, Mr. Faraday, and you will stay tied up,” Chisolm snapped from where he was getting off his horse. So far, no one was reaching for his guns, which was good. His guns helped him feel calmer, safer.

“Figured I keep it interesting, for all of us,” Faraday leered at the man, who just shook his head.

“Goody, Billy, Vas, get camp set up,” Chisolm decided to ignore Faraday. “Red, you’re on idiot watch. I’ll go scout the area.”

“Don’t mind them,” Horne spoke softly, drawing Faraday’s attention from the others as they moved off except for Red. “They are not easily frustrated, but the last time I wandered into camp dazed, I’d just killed a bear with my hands.”

Faraday blinked at the man slowly as he treated his hand, not sure how to respond. For all the tension and hate coming at him from the others, they still weren’t leaving him alone. He’d just have to try harder next time. Maybe lull them into a sense of false ease. Had worked for him in the past. He looked up Red, who was studying him with an intense stare. Well, maybe it would work this time.


	7. Bite the Hand

Horne looked all of his injuries, wrapping his hand up tight and checking his side and his leg. He tutted at the few stitches that Faraday had managed to pull out and scolded Red a little as he checked Faraday’s ribs when Faraday had “accidentally” let it slip that Red had tackled him off his horse. Red had just said he did what he needed to and remained silent as Horne moved on to Faraday’s leg. He made Faraday pull down the one pants leg so he had full access to his leg. Faraday resisted until Red threatened to just cut the pants off. At least it was only these two watching. Some of the joints were swollen and tender, especially around the breaks.

“I think they healed fine,” Faraday shrugged as Horne started digging through his medical bag. “Doc let me leave about two weeks after the accident.”

“Two weeks?” Horne’s head snapped up, eyes hard. “After breaking your leg in three places and getting a hip full of buck shot?”

“How’d you know about the buck shot?” Faraday had a strong urge to pull away from the man, but there was nowhere to go.

“I checked you over completely when we first found you,” Horne scoffed, going back to his back, shoulder’s tense. “I wanted to see if I could get what was left behind out, but Chisolm would not let me.”

“Its not a bother. Really,” Faraday shrugged and found Horne’s eyes on him again. He glanced up at Red, uneasy, but the Comanche just looked bored.

“You limp everywhere you go. You have trouble riding a horse. I’m still trying to figure out how to snuck up on Horne, but that leg is bothering you,” Red shrugged.

“I’ve had practice. Not a safe world out there,” Faraday grumbled, looking back down at his hand. The intense eyes from those two were making him uncomfortable.

“At some point, if you allow it and we have the time, I’d like to rebreak the leg,” Horne pulled out a roll of cloth from his bag. “But we don’t have time for that right now, of course.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m good,” Faraday tried to pull his leg away, sensing a massive amount of pity rolling his way from the bear man, but Horne held his leg in place as he wrapped the clothe around Faraday’s leg.

“The purpose of the blankets was to keep the leg immobile while it rested,” Horne shot him a pointed look. “The cloth will do the same, just give you a greater range of motion. So you can still get around.”

Faraday narrowed his eyes at the two men by him, putting two and two together, “Look, I don’t know why you guys are doing this, but I’m sure you have better things to do than chase me. So how’s about you give me my stuff back and we’ll go our separate ways.”

“We’re out here to keep you alive, Mr. Faraday,” Chisolm appeared out of nowhere and Faraday just stopped himself from jumping. “Emma needs a few weeks to get the judge to sign off on getting rid of your bounty and then we’ll leave you alone.”

“A few weeks?” Faraday eyed him, doing the math in his head. “So basically I have to deal with you for a few weeks?”

“Think of it as a vacation, Mr. Faraday,” Chisolm smiled hollowly, showing some teeth. “A good time with good company.”

“Not my idea of good company,” Faraday huffed, crossing his arms and focusing on the tree across from him. At that moment there was a shout from where the others were setting up camp. They all turned to see Vasquez standing between an angry Jack and Goody and Billy. The Asian was on the ground, rubbing his arm as he glared at the horse.

“What’s going on?” Chisolm headed over, but came up short when Jack’s head came around to focus on him, teeth bared. Faraday shoved Horne away and pulled his pants up quickly before standing, fastening his belts back into place as he watched everyone closely.

“That beast tried to take a chunk out of my arm, again!” Goody snapped, glaring at Jack. “Billy got between him and me and he went after Billy.”

“Atta boy!” Faraday crowed, limping over to his horse, patting Chisolm on the shoulder as he passed. “This is starting to get fun, Mr. Chisolm.”

“You’re supposed to be resting, Mr. Faraday,” Horne called after him, but Faraday chose to focus on Jack instead of the others. Jack’s ears came up, focusing on his rider with a look of amusement and fondness.

“I know, these men are just rude, Mr. Jack,” Faraday laughed, coming to stand by Jack and rubbing a hand between the horse’s ears. “Spoiling your fun. Its been weeks since you had a good man steak.”

“Please tell me he’s not serious,” Goody sounded a little more than worried.

“I think he’s crazy. Emma sent us after a crazy man,” Vasquez sounded in awe of him. Huh, that’s new.

“How’s about I shoot the kneecaps for ya and you eat what’s left?” Faraday crooned at his horse, smiling broadly. Jack knickered, eyeing Goody from under Faraday’s arm.

“See, this is why someone should’ve taken the guns away,” Billy huffed and Faraday spun around, guns drawn and pointed at Vasquez and Chisolm.

“These guns?” Faraday smiled broadly, enjoying how the men tensed. Good, they needed to set some boundaries here. Keep the lot of them on their toes, “Why’d you want Maria and Ethel for?”

“You’ve named your pistols?” Horne sounded horrified from where he and Red were standing behind Chisolm.

“Oh no, they came with the names. Took them off a man down in Texas, years ago,” Faraday shrugged casually, letting his shoulders relax. “I figured we all should get acquainted since we’ll be spending so much time together. In case you were thinking about doing something stupid like, oh I don’t know, tying me up again.”

“I’m seriously gagging you as well next time,” Chisolm warned, keeping his hands away from his own pistols. “Just trying to be friendly is all, Faraday.”

“Let’s get one thing straight, Mr. Chisolm. I don’t do friendly,” Faraday let his smile turn feral. “So I’ll play along with this little game you got going. I’ll hang around, but your man, Horne, keeps his hands to himself. I can treat my own wounds, thank you. The rest of you will back off. I don’t feel like being chased right now, so I’ll stick around here but I’m not going to gossip like an old bitty. Am I clear?”

“Clear as water, Mr. Faraday,” Chisolm nodded and Faraday deftly re-holstered his pistols, smile turning normal once more.

“Wonderful, where’s my stuff?”

#

Faraday set himself up just within the circle of light from the fire, well away from the others. They’d given him his stuff back and he went through it, making sure everything was still there. Once he was sure none of his supplies had been stolen, he set up his bedroll and pulled the saddle off of Jack, giving him a good rub down afterwards. Horne and Vasquez looked like they wanted to step in and try to help, but a warning cough from Chisolm had kept them away. Faraday had played his cards right and while he now had six new shadows, they were staying away. It made the pit in his stomach hurt a little, but he ignored it. He kept his back to them as well, so he wouldn’t see Chisolm checking Horne’s head injury, Red and Vasquez cleaning their weapons together or Goody and Billy being….Goody and Billy it seemed.

He’d heard of men getting together, but he’d stayed away for good reason. He had enough trouble on his own, he tried to stay away from anything he couldn’t handle till he was sure he could. He didn’t care what they did together, it was none of his business anyway. But he had enough dealings with religious types to avoid them at all costs.

Jack stayed by him, sleeping standing up, head turned towards the fire. Faraday appreciated his own guard horse, knowing Jack would go at any of them should they get too close. He’d pulled out his cards and was flipping through them, mind wandering as his hands went through the motions of shuffling and cutting the cards. Even if they got a judge to intervene, it wouldn’t stop Bogue from hunting him. He’d just have his own men to do it. He was sure these six realized it, so they must have something planned for the future. Well, whatever it was, he wouldn’t be around to see it. He’d give them a few days, let them get complacent and then make a run for it.

Faraday knew he was more than likely to bit the hand acting in kindness than most, was used to hands coming at him as a punishment. His own father had left when he was a babe, never looking back. His momma kept suitor after suitor, often kicking him out of their current hotel room to give her whole attention to the men that came in. People in the towns they stayed in didn’t much trust a boy wandering around, looking bored. He had figured, as he’d grown up, that it was easy to be what they said he was than to try not to be and get them to believe him. So he stole, he got into fights and he caused trouble. His momma passed away when he was still young. He couldn't leave the town fast enough, the townsfolk becoming unbearable with their acts of "kindness" to "save his soul". He didn’t care, he was better off on his own anyway. With Jack. Because animals didn’t care about who you were as long as you cared for them.

“You hungry, Mr. Faraday?” Chisolm’s voice broke through his thoughts and he slapped the deck to a standstill between his hands, glancing over his shoulder. Someone had made stew at some point. He could smell it from here, causing his mouth to water. Damn it smelled good.

“I’ve got my own food, Mr. Chisolm. No need to worry if you’ll poison me or not,” Faraday gave him an easy smile before focusing back on the cards, quickly laying out a hand of solitaire on the blanket before him. He heard the grumblings coming from the fire but ignored it. He was used to it at this point in his life. He may be lonely, but he wasn’t stupid.


	8. Step One: Piss Everyone Off

Faraday woke the next morning with his pistol in hand, not quite awake but sensing that someone was nearby. He followed the line from his pistol to the person it was pointed at and found Billy, the Asian, at the other end. He was just leaning against a tree, looking down at Faraday from a few feet away. The sun, from what Faraday could tell, was just coming over the horizon. Billy raised an eyebrow when Faraday’s eyes finally focused on him, “You want breakfast?”

“I’ve got my own food,” Faraday growled, sitting up but keeping the gun trained on Billy.

“How about coffee?” Billy still didn’t move, still looked bored and from the lack of movement behind him, the only one up.

“How’s about I sic my horse on ya, buddy?” Faraday snapped.

“You were starting to make noise in your sleep,” Billy straightened up finally, glancing back towards the fire. “No one else is up, but I figured you wouldn’t want to wake the entire county with your screams.”

“Oh, go bother your boy toy,” Faraday snapped, slipping his gun back into holster and turning away. So what if he was having a bad dream. It happened to everyone, so screw Billy and his stupid whatever he was trying to do.

Jack snorted at him from where the horse stood by his bedroll, looking amused. Faraday glared up at him, “Don’t you start. We don’t like them, remember?”

Jack bobbed his head before snorting, letting his eyes close and obviously deciding sleep was better than dealing with his human this early in the morning. Faraday glared at the horse a moment longer before standing, using the tree he was by for support. Billy was back by the fire, rifle across his knees as he watched Faraday. Smug little bastard.

Faraday wandered a little ways from camp and relieved himself of some of his bodily fluids, keeping an eye on the land around them. Nothing moved out there, which hopefully was good. Faraday hoped the six at least had a plan for what they were going to do the next few weeks because he was not going to sit around out here for that long.

When he wandered back to his bedroll, Billy was gone but the fire had been built back up and coffee had been started. So either they were planning an early start or Billy was trying to trick Faraday into getting closer to the fire. Not going to work on him this time, Billy old boy. Faraday settled down on his bedroll, pulling both his pistols and his cleaning supplies from one of his bags. If he was going to be running for another few weeks, he might as well have clean pistols for it.

He’d finished his pistols and was going his saddle, fixing the leather as needed, when the others started to stir. It must be nice to sleep for however long you wanted without fear of being killed in your sleep. Chisolm was the first up, wandering out of camp probably to do his business. When he came back, he poured two tins of coffee and held one out for Goodnight, who Faraday had thought had been sleeping. With eyes still closed, Goodnight reached out and grabbed the tin, sitting up and taking a sip. These were strange men indeed.

The others started to move after that. Horne was the next one up, moving out into the trees. Faraday caught a glimpse of him kneeling a ways from camp through the trees. Probably praying. Seemed the religious sort, even with the hatchets.

Red slowly sat up from where he was situated on the outside of the party, looking far too awake for just waking up. Although, Faraday figured he might have been faking it. Billy passed him and the two shared a nod before Red got up and moved to the horses. Billy sad down by Goodnight, stealing his coffee for a sip and then handing it back. Goodnight didn’t even seem to notice.

Vasquez was the last one up and he did a full stretch as he sat up, his shirt riding up to show his abs. And, wow, those were abs. Faraday quickly focused back on his saddle. No need getting in trouble this early in the morning. Especially this early in the morning so early into this whole mess. Well, maybe it would be a good thing. Maybe that would chase them off.

He’d go through with his current plan and see if it would work. He checked over his saddle one more time before standing, pulling the saddle and blanket up with him. Jack was immediately by his side, angled so that he had his middle right by Faraday while facing the other six. He threw the blanket, then the saddle on Jack’s back before anyone reacted.

“What are you doing?” Chisolm’s voice cut through the morning air as Faraday reached under Jack to grab the cinch.

“Getting ready to go. What does it look like I’m doing?” Faraday focused on tightening the cinch.

“We’re not going anywhere today,” Chisolm sounded closer and Faraday glanced over to see he had moved so he stood between the fire and Jack. The horse in question was eyeing Chisolm with unblinking eyes. That’s a good horse!

“Well, you might not be, but I am,” Faraday gave the cinch one last tug before securing it and moving to roll up his bedroll. “I really don’t like these trees. Figured I could find someplace better to hole up. With maybe a real bed.”

“You’re not going anywhere without us,” Chisolm crossed his arms, looking annoyed.

“You keep moving your mouth, but all I’m hearing is waaaa wa wa waaaaa,” Faraday made a talking motion with his hand. “If ya’ll want to stay here, be my guest. Its not like I asked for you to follow me around or anything.”

“I know of a cabin up in the hills not far from here,” Horne appeared out of the trees like a ghost, looking intrigued. “It should fit all of us.”

“There ya go, you have someplace to be,” Faraday tied off the bedroll and stood, tying it to the back of his saddle. “Have fun, it was nice not getting to know any of you. I’ll send a letter or something someday, probably never.”

“You go where we go, Mr. Faraday, not the other way around,” Chisolm growled, actually sounding annoyed for once. About time.

“That’s not how I see it,” Faraday grabbed his saddle bags and attached those to his saddle. “I go where I please and all of you just happen to follow. Its really annoying, so if it could stop, it would be so ever nice.”

“Give us an hour to pack up and we’ll head to Horne’s cabin,” Chisolm snapped. “Or we’re tying you back up.”

“I’d like to see you try. At least three of you will be dead before you could touch me,” Faraday scoffed turning to face the saddle and finding Red facing him from the other side of Jack, bow drawn and arrow pointed at his face.

“I would like to see you try,” Red said calmly, looking bored.

“Boy, you gotta work on your threats,” Faraday shook his head before swinging into the saddle, grunting as his bad leg complained. “An arrow to the face might be what I want to happen. You ever think of that? And you won’t put it in my horse cuz you like him too much.”

Red released the tension in his bow as his own horse walked up behind him, “Then I will go with you while the others pack up. Horne can tell me where to go. We will go slow to rest your leg.”

“Ain’t nothing wrong with my leg,” Faraday glared at the man. “You won’t to come along? Go ahead. But we go where I want to go.”

“Which is the cabin,” Vasquez offered cheerfully.

“Which is somewhere away from all of you,” Faraday huffed before nudging Jack forward. He didn’t even look to see if the Indian was following. He had no doubt his new shadow was right behind him. Well, he got rid of 5 out of the 6. This last one shouldn’t be too hard.


	9. People Reader Not A Mind Reader

To be polite, Red was a little shit.

Yes, that was Faraday being polite.

Faraday had gone through his entire stock of racist insults towards Native Americans, insulted him every way he could about his manhood and had even started in on insulting the man’s mother, even though he knew nothing about the woman. Red had not even twitched, which was impressive because Faraday had said some mighty horrible things about the man that made him want to go wash his own mouth out a dozen times at least with soap. He wasn’t a cruel man, didn’t see the point in separating himself from the masses because of gender, race or the like. Honestly, he’d seen white men do just as horrible things as the Natives were supposed to have done. Actually, worse. For all their preaching about loving their neighbors and welcoming all into their homes, white folk were pretty discriminatory in their habits. Some of the stuff he saw some of them doing in the cities he’d consider barbaric and uncivilized. The Native’s were just respecting the land and giving back in their own way, like the Bible said all men should do.

Faraday had started many a bar fight over the improper usage of Bible verses to give weight to slavery or just being plain cruel to someone else. He’d killed men over the killing of innocent women and children because they were Natives. Honestly, he’d come out west to get away from it all and it still followed him. Except now, they were throwing in Mexicans and that was a barrel of monkeys he did not want to open any time soon. Just cuz someone didn’t speak English didn’t mean they were lesser beings. Seriously, some people.

But that was beside the point. Faraday was hating himself for saying some evil things to chase the man off and it wasn’t working so all he had accomplished so far today was just hate himself. And to top it all off, Red’s face had stayed the same from where he sat on his horse, keeping pace with Jack. Faraday was really starting to think he pissed someone off upstairs and this was his punishment.

“Were you dropped as a baby? Because honestly, I am trying to figure out how you are just ignoring everything I have said in the last few hours,” Faraday crossed his arms, reins staying over the pommel where they had been for the entire ride.

Red just tilted his head towards Faraday, finally acknowledging the other man for the first time since they left the grove. He looked amused, at least, “You say all these things, but you do not believe them. Why should I?”

That’s just…that’s just damn perceptive of him but still, “So?”

Real clever, Faraday, real clever. Red snorted and shook his head, “You are trying to run me off, but it is as it was this morning. I did not want to shoot you and you did not want to die. If you wanted to die, you would have before we found you. You say all those things, but they only make you hate yourself. I have watched and observed the men I ride with and the men we run into for many years. You are desperate and afraid, but you are not cruel. Even in your darkest moments, you do not wish suffering on others.”

“I wasn’t asking for a damn mind reader,” Faraday snapped, focusing on the land ahead of them.

“No, you wished for an easy target to scare away or to hate enough to shoot. I am neither. You fight us because it’s all you know how to do. You do not know how to trust, how to let others help. I am not a mind reader, I am a reader of people,” Red was looking smug and it was really starting to piss Faraday off. He was already hating himself and now this guy was making it worse.

“Why the hell do ya’ll keep following me around anyways? I can’t be worth getting a man like Bogue locked up,” Faraday snarled, crossing his arms.

“You are not worth getting killed for a man like Bogue,” Red met his eyes coolily, never blinking. “You came to us seeking aid and even though you never got the chance to ask, we offer it freely. And we are not seeking Bogue’s imprisonment. We are seeking his death.”

Red finally looked away, scanning the horizon and allowing Faraday a moment to collect his thoughts. These men had chased him across the plains to make sure he didn’t die because of Bogue. They were keeping him alive for a chance to kill Bogue. They were protecting him so that they could get the law to okay their plan to eliminate the man. That was…different than what he was expecting. He was figuring on them wanting to keep him alive so that they could hand him over to the Marshals or something. Not them possibly sticking it out the entire time.

“You want Bogue dead?” Faraday asked softly over the muffled clomping of the horses’ hooves.

“He has made us all suffer in some form,” Red nodded, glancing at Faraday. “He put out a bounty of Vasquez, just as he has done you, because Vasquez killed a Marshal in his employee for killing an innocent family in front of upstanding officers of the law. We have the bounty cleared, but he knows how you are feeling. His bounty was only $500 though. Not as high as yours.”

“I don’t know what I did to piss him off so much,” Faraday shrugged.

“You did nothing, we tightened the trap around him,” Red shrugged. “My people have lost land to Bogue. We have gotten some of it back, but others are still suffering. Miss Emma lost her husband and her town. Sam was hung by the neck and watched his family die at the man’s hands. We all want him dead, but we cannot just go after him like we would want to.”

“But what if you could?” Faraday picked up the reins to draw Jack to a stop. Red stopped his horse as well, turning to face him, eyes curious.

“We have no such opportunity open to us, but if we could, we would be within our rights as officers of the law. Or at least, those in our group who are,” Red looked thoughtful. “Rose Creek is a long ride from here.”

“I’ll go to that cabin you were talking about if you agree to hear me out,” Faraday was already seeing some flaws in his plan, but he figured this group could help with that. “Like you said, I don’t want to die. Tried it once, it didn’t agree with me.”

“I agree,” Red held his hand out. “If you agree to trust us.”

“I’ll do my best,” Faraday nodded, taking Red’s hand. He kept a firm grip for a moment before using Red’s lull in concentration to pull the man off his horse before kicking his heels into Jack. The horse took off as he heard Red swore somewhere behind him. He did have a plan to take down Bogue, but he could do it himself. Red was right, he didn’t want to die. But he was more willing to die for others if he saw the worth of it.

God willing, it wouldn’t come to that.

He heard the war cry behind him and he leaned over the saddle even more. He just had to outrun and outgun a pissed of Native before then.


	10. Resistance is Futile

The others were sitting outside the cabin when Red rode up to it, dust covered and looking more than annoyed, a docile Jack following at the end of a lead. Faraday looking like pissed off cat, tied up tight as only Red could do, hands in front with his hat sloppily in place and gag over his mouth. Vas was leaning against a post, smoking a cigarette and looking more than amused. Goody and Billy were sitting on a bench, sharing a cigarette while Horne and Sam sat on the edge of the porch. Horne was sharpening his hatchet while Sam just sat there, watching the two men approach.

“Good to see you, Red. Figured you two would have been hear sooner,” Sam leaned forward, watching the two men with amusement in his eyes.

“He is an asshole,” Red snarled, pulling his horse to a stop. Faraday roared something through the gag, but it was unintelligible. His eyes were looking a little wild, so it was fair to say that Faraday was probably plotting their murder.

“Yes, we know that,” Vas laughed from his perch. “What did he do this time?”

“He called my mother horrible things,” Red turned his eyes to Faraday. “And then he made me think he had changed his mind.”

Faraday snarled something around the gag, probably something unpleasant. Was a mighty nice sight though, seeing the man all tied up, unable to run off and get into trouble. Although, something wasn’t quite right…

“Why is he still wearing his guns?” Goody saw it before everyone else, as was the usual. Faraday’s guns still sat on his hips, looking just as pretty as ever.

“He bit me when I tried to take them,” Red shrugged, holding up his bandaged hand. “And then kept attacking me after I gagged him. It keeps him calm, so I did not see the problem.”

“His hands get loose and we’re all dead,” Billy said solemnly. “I say take ‘em and be done with it.”

Faraday’s face turned red at that, spitting behind the gag like he was trying to bury Billy in words. Well, they all knew the man’s guns were a sensitive spot for him, but really.

“He can do the same amount of damage without them,” Sam shook his head. “Lets get him off the horse and inside before we decide anything.”

Vas and Sam moved forward as Red dismounted. Faraday was still looking red in the face and his eyes were darting around wildly before he slammed his heels against Jack’s side and leaning forward. Instead of jumping forward like horses had the habit of doing, Jack twitched before turning his head to look back at his rider, obviously a little done with his antics. Faraday screamed through the gag at the horse, face turning even redder. Jack just sighed and did a little crow hop that unseated his rider, sending Faraday into the dust. Silence rang for a few seconds before Horne started laughing from his seat and soon the whole group was going while Faraday just laid in the dirt, staring up at the sky as best he could from his position.

Vas was the one who took pity on the man and crossed over to him as the others settled down. He wrapped his hands around the man’s right arm and pulled, but stopped as Faraday grunted in pain. Vas quickly knelt, running a hand over Faraday’s shoulder, “You alright, guero?”

Faraday snarled something around the gag, but his face was pale as Vas pushed against his shoulder. Vas turned to look over his shoulder, “His shoulder popped out. Horne, where do you want him?”

“Get him inside and keep the gag in till I have it set,” Horne sighed sadly. “That boy is a walking mess.”

Vas snorted as he lifted Faraday to his feet, keeping an arm around the man’s waist as he led Faraday into the house. Horned followed close behind, mumbling something under his breath. Goodnight turned to the others as the door closed, “He’s not wrong.”

“We’ll cut him loose once the arm is set,” Sam sighed, looking at the horse that was the cause of all the trouble. “Surprised the beast didn’t run when Faraday kicked it.”

Jack snorted at him, tossing his head against the lead still tied to him. Red moved forward on silent feet and ran a hand over the horse’s head, speaking softly to Jack before removing the entire bridle. Jack shook his head as Red moved to remove the saddle next as he let his voice carry to the others, “Jack is tired of his rider’s paranoia. That is the second time he has dumped Faraday today. The first was so that I could catch him.”

“Seems like you’ve had a day,” Billy snorted. “And I thought you two had come to an understanding.”

“The horse tolerates me, the rider does not,” Red shrugged as he hefted the saddle off of Jack’s back. Jack did a full body shake before wandering over to where there was a water trough set up, ignoring the other horses in favor of water.

“The rider tolerates no man,” Goody winced as a shout of pain came from inside. “Although, might do him so good if he did.”

“We’ve all been where Faraday has been,” Sam sat back down on the porch, squinting up at the sun. “Or have seen it. Show a man kindness and he bites you because he does not understand it. Patience and time is needed and we have both. And now that the horse is on board, we might actually succeed.”

“This is starting to be more than it might be worth, Sam,” Goody leaned forward, eyes weary. “We’ve had more than enough trouble so far and its from the man we’re trying to protect.”

“The same could be said for you and Billy,” Sam raised an eyebrow at the other man. “You showed me kindness once, Goody, why not show this man that same kindness?”

“Because you didn’t sic a horse on me,” Goody stared long into Sam’s eyes before leaning back. “Fine, I will try it your way this time. What is the plan now that we have come here?”

“Billy, Red and Horne will see to our security,” Sam pulled a smoke out of his breast pocket and placed it between his teeth. “They’re the best at reading the land and Horne knows the territory. We’ll give it a week or so and then send a message to Emma. Us three will see to our guest here and the keeping of the horses and the cabin. If our man behaves, we’ll take him with to get supplies at the end of the week.”

“He said he had a plan to take on Bogue,” Red spoke up as he dropped the tack on the porch. “He might have just said that to distract me, but I believe he might have actually had an idea at least.”

“Its possibly a bad idea,” Billy spoke up as the door opened, Vas appearing and wiping his hands off on a rag.

“What is a bad idea?” Vas looked around at the other 4, eyebrow raised.

“Faraday might have a plan to take on Bogue,” Goody offered, taking the offered cigarette from Billy.

“It will risk his life, I guarantee it,” Vas sighed. “He takes needless risk with is life.”

“Was he headed to Bogue, then, when he tried to run from me?” Red asked thoughtfully. “It had been what we were discussing before he tried to run.”

“It is possible,” Sam nodded. “We will wait for him to wake and find out. As I am sure, Horne knocked him out.”

“He knocked himself out,” Vas snorted. “We went to set his arm and he slammed his head into the wall. I would like to wrap him in blankets for the rest of his time with us, to keep him from hurting himself.”

“I’m sure that would be amusing to see, but I don’t think our friend would be overly excited about such treatment,” Goody laughed as he passed the cigarette back to Billy.

“We’ll see how he’s doing when he wakes. Ask him about it, Vas,” Sam stood, stretching. “See how he feels about it. For now, everyone get some rest. We’ve got a long wait ahead of us.”


	11. Step Two: Create Feelings in Others They Themselves Do Not Understand

Faraday woke slowly, feeling like he was floating almost. He was warm and comfortable and all he wanted to do was curl up even farther into the bed he was on and never leave. He couldn’t remember the last time he was this comfortable. Actually, he couldn’t remember a time he had ever been this comfortable. Which meant….was he dead?!

Faraday’s eyes snapped open and he tried to sit up, breathing heavily, but the blankets piled on top of him kept him weighed down. He found against them, but at about the time he started to struggle his head, shoulder, side and leg let themselves be known. He groaned in pain, flopping back against the pillows, admitting defeat for the time being.

With the pain came the memories of the last few days. Running from the bounty hunters, having his ass handed to him by the Native, his own horse turning against him. And to top it all off, he bashed his own head into the wall. Faraday was thinking for at the least the next few days, he was just going to give up. He’d let the bounty hunters win this time. He was done fighting, it wasn’t getting him anywhere. He hurt too much to care about his pride or paranoia right now.

“I told you the blankets would be a good idea,” the familiar voice of the local texican sounded nearby way too smug for his own good. Faraday opened his eyes, glaring up at Vasquez who was hovering at the edge of the bed Faraday had been set up in. Sam stood not to far away, watching with an almost amused look on his face. Behind him was a doorway from which other voices could be heard but no one seen.

“For once you had a good idea, Vas. Good for you,” Sam snarked, earning him a glare from Vasquez. Sam ignored him to focus on Faraday, “Red isn’t too happy with you.”

“His own fault for following,” Faraday grumbled, taking a moment to gather his strength before starting to shift the blankets off him so he could sit up. His shirt and pants had been changed and his socks were missing, but at least he was clothed.

“Should probably take it easy, pretty bruised up,” Sam was definitely laughing at him. “Happens when your horse throws you twice in one day.”

“There are plenty of other reasons for the bruises,” Faraday growled at him, sitting up fully and leaning against the headboard. “Like you and your men throwing me around for the past few days.”

“It wasn’t us who shot you, though, was it? Or broke your leg in the first place,” Sam laughed at him, shaking his head. “Your side was infected, remember? You’ve got a slight fever going, according to Horne, but he thinks you can just sweat it out. Hence the blankets.”

“And they’re for extra padding, too, guerito,” Vasquez was smiling brightly. “So you stop hurting yourself every time you move.”

“Wasn’t my fault! Any of those times!” Faraday snarled, going to get off the bed but finding that he hurt too much and he was feeling surprisingly weak. His arms shook as he tried to push himself up, but Vasquez was there, pushing his gently back against the headboard.

“You’ve been asleep for a few hours now, your body has probably decided its time for you to take a break. Didn’t even move when Goodnight dropped the kettle by the door and its cast iron,” Vasquez admonished. “We’ll get some food into you and some rest and you’ll be as right as rain.”

Faraday could only stare as Vasquez straightened the blankets around him, trying to figure out what happened here. He found himself looking at Sam for help, but the man was silently laughing at him. Right, he was going to be no help right now. Faraday focused back on Vasquez, who was looking at him with concern, “Are you ok, guero?”

“Can you back off, amigo?” Faraday forced out, his voice sounding hostile even to himself. “This may work for you and your buddies, but you’re getting a little handsy for my liking. And I do bite, unlike the spineless pieces of shit you work for.”

Faraday wasn’t sure where that whole thing came from, but it had the much needed effect of chasing Vasquez away. At least a few feet, which made it easier to breath at least. Vasquez was looking hurt, hands at his sides to show he meant no harm, “I was only making sure you were ok, guero.”

“Stop calling me that. Stop trying to help me. Stop following me everywhere! Get it through your thick skulls that I do not want you shadowing my every move because you think its for the greater good. If you were doing anything for the greater good, Bogue would be dead right and I would never have met any of you!” Faraday snarled, still feeling cornered even with the space. There was a weird fuzziness in his chest, making it tingle as he took in Vasquez’s hurt look and Sam’s annoyance. He didn’t want these people’s pity, didn’t like how it made him feel. It made him want to apologize and just do whatever they say. He did not do that, he did not let other people decide what was right for him and he did not apologize.

“Vas, I got it from here. Let Horne know that Faraday is awake,” Sam stepped forward, resting a hand on the other man’s shoulder to pull him back. The two shared a glance before Vasquez nodded and left, slightly closing the door behind him. Faraday felt almost sad the man was leaving, almost. He needed to get himself in check before he did something stupid like trusting these men.

Sam watched Faraday silently for a moment, arms crossed and face blank. Faraday wasn’t going to break first here, Sam could say his piece and then fuck off. Sam seemed to come to the same conclusion, because he broke the silence with a, “You can leave whenever you want.”

What? Faraday was pretty sure he’d hit his head harder than he thought, because those were not the words he thought were going to come out of him. Faraday raised an eyebrow at him in response, “I can leave?”

“Obviously we’ve bitten off more than we can chew with you, Mr. Faraday. We were just trying to hospitable people here, but must have come across differently to you and we apologize for that. We were just trying to help, is all. Probably got a little too excited about it. You’ll find all your things are still in the bags and your guns are just on the bedside table. Your tack is out in the barn if you want to leave. We left the horse wandering, so he might be your only obstacle. He seems happier if we leave him alone, not unlike his rider,” Sam raised his eyebrow right back, tone sincere but words cold. They settled horribly in Faraday’s stomach but there was no going back now.

“You’re just going to let me leave? None of you following me?” Faraday narrowed his eyes, seeing a trap if there ever was one. “None of you volunteering to ride with me to where ever I decide to go?”

“We’re all planning on staying here for a while. Been doing jobs for a few months straight now, need a break,” Sam shrugged, appearing to casual for Faraday’s liking. “None of us are going to be chasing you down, Mr. Faraday. You have my word.”

“What about all that talk about Bogue and the judge?” Faraday was not going to let this go. He didn’t trust it one bit.

“Like you said, we’ll find another way. We can’t make you stay against your will and you obviously don’t want to help. I just ask that you only take what is yours and nothing more,” Sam shrugged as the door behind him opened, revealing Horne holding a bag.

“Everything alright in here?” Horne looked between the two and Faraday honestly wasn’t sure how to answer.

“Mr. Faraday is awake,” Sam gave Faraday one last meaningful look before turning to Horne. “If he’s willing, look him over one last time? It seems he’ll be leaving us shortly.”

Ah, so not telling him he could leave. Asking him to leave more like. Faraday saw how it was and he was able to school his face into neutrality as Horne focused on him, “One last check before the road wouldn’t hurt.”

“Well then,” Horne looked almost sad. “I’ll make sure you have some extra supplies when you go, so you can try to keep that gunshot would clean this time.”

Sam left, leaving the door a little open as Horne approached the bed, setting the bag down by Faraday’s hip, “I’ll also brace that arm of yours. We got it reset, but that shoulder is going to be tender for a while. Wrap that whole chest, really. Your ribs took as much a beating as everything else. Do take better care of yourself, Mr. Faraday.”

“I aim to please,” Faraday scoffed, focusing on the wall in front of him. “Just get it over with.”

He choose to ignore Horne’s hurt look as he set to work. It wasn’t going to change his mind or Sam’s anytime soon.

The next morning found the bed Faraday had been occupying empty and all of his things gone. His tack was still in the barn, intact except for his right stirrup, and Jack was standing in the yard, facing the west with a lost look on his face. Faraday was nowhere to be found.


	12. Step Three: Do Something Really Stupid

Faraday snuck out of the cabin in the early hours of the morning. He’d changed into his final set of clothing, careful of the bindings Horne on put on his arm and chest as well as his leg. At least he didn’t have to deal with anyone seeing him slink out. It seemed everyone had gone to bed into rooms he figured were farther down the hallway he was on.

The front door sat on well oiled hinges and Faraday easily snuck out into the night. Jack was wandering free, just as the Sam had said, and was standing near the porch, watching Faraday expectantly. Faraday felt something tug in his chest, but he had already made up his mind on Jack. He set his bags down on the porch and limped over to Jack, running a hand over the horse’s head, “We’ve had a good run, Mr. Jack. A real good run.”

Jack nickered and pressed his head harder against Faraday’s hand. Faraday sighed and wrapped his arms around the horse’s neck, “I want you to stay here, with this men, ok? They’ll keep you safe and well fed. I’m sure if you’re patient, one of them will even ride you. I gotta go set things right, for you and me. I can’t put you back in harms way, not again.”

Jack dropped his nose down and back so it was like he was hugging Faraday back. They stayed like that for a moment till Faraday was sure he could hide the tears in his eyes if anyone was looking. He pulled away, giving Jack one more pat on the neck, “You be good and don’t go killing anyone unless they deserve it. I’m gonna miss you, Mr. Jack. Best partner I ever had.”

With that he turned and got his stuff off the porch and started walking. He heard Jack following and he turned to face the horse, “You have to stay, Jack. Stay here.”

Jack’s head was down and he was giving Faraday the saddest eyes he possibly could. Faraday shook his head, knowing he was going to have to be strong, “Trust me, Jack. I’ll come back, I promise. Just stay here.”

Jack dropped his head even lower but as Faraday backed away, he stayed. Faraday gave him one last long look so he wouldn’t forget the horse and turned and headed into the barn reach quick as a thought came to him. He pulled his adjusted stirrup off his saddle and tied it to one of his saddle bags before heading back out the door. Jack was still standing there, watching him sadly. Faraday sighed and turned west, heading towards probably the stupidest thing he was ever going to do.

#

He knew he was going to run into trouble the closer he got to Bogueville, he just expected a few days and time to get a horse before anything was supposed to happen. It took him a day to get to the nearest town on foot, which hopefully equaled out to half a day by horseback. He didn’t see any of the others trying to follow him unless Vasquez or Red took him leaving Jack personally, which they shouldn’t. He was protecting the horse. That’s all that should matter.

He wasn’t sure the name of this town, either. Didn’t chance a look at it, didn’t want to give himself a place to fall back to. He just needed to get a horse and get out of town as fast as he could. He made sure to get into town just after dawn to avoid the crowds. The stables were open at least, he’d circled the town so he came in by them. He didn’t know if there was a horse available but he had gold he was willing to split with to get whatever was there.

The stable owner was cleaning out a stall when Faraday hobbled in. His leg hated him for walking so much and riding a horse wouldn’t help much but he didn’t have time to slow down. He knocked his hand against the barn door to make himself known before entering completely. The guy looked up and slowly eyed him up and down. That look was almost too calculating for Faraday’s liking, but he couldn’t run just yet. Not without a horse.

“Howdy there, friend,” Faraday stopped well away from the man, keeping his hands well away from his guns. “I’m looking for a horse.”

“You’d best be leaving, son,” the man, an older gentlemen with wary eyes, leaning against his pitchfork.

“I’ve got the money, I promise,” Faraday kept himself looking harmless. He really needed that horse.

“I don’t want your money and I don’t want your trouble, boy. I’ve seen your poster up and I’ve seen the price. I’m not losing my life for a lowlife like you,” the man snapped, tightening his grip on the pitchfork.

“Look, I will pay you double the worth of any of your horses and tack. I will be out of here in a wink and no one will know,” Faraday moved his hands away from his body, pleading with the man. “I am innocent.”

“These men say otherwise,” the man nodded behind Faraday, but before he could turn around, something was slamming into the back of his head, throwing him to the ground. He rolled over to find Roberts standing over him, dropping a shovel to the side while more men, six Blackstones, filed in.

“Of all the towns to wander into, Mr. Faraday, it just had to be this one,” Roberts smile coldly as he knelt over Faraday, grabbing the saddle bags and throwing them to some of the men who immediately started going through them. Roberts glanced at them quickly, “Make sure everything ends back in those bags, boys, or it’ll be on you to explain to Bogue why he didn’t get what he asked for.”

“Yes, sir,” one of them replied before slamming his elbow into his partner’s side. Roberts focused back on Faraday just in time to receive a fist to the face. It threw Roberts off of Faraday and he immediately pulled his guns, firing six shots in quick succession. He leveled both guns on Roberts, who was holding his face and glaring at Faraday as the six men fell.

“I didn’t want to kill them, Roberts, and I don’t want to kill you,” Faraday kept his voice even, staring Roberts straight in the eye.

“There’s no way you’re getting out of this, Faraday,” Roberts hissed. “Kill us and the bounty gets bigger. More people come after you, Marshals even. Maybe the Army. You’re a dead man.”

“See, the problem with that? None of you are willing to kill me because you fear Bogue,” Faraday cocked Maria and Ethel together, never flinching. “Maybe the Army will, which would still be playing into my deck when this is all over. Too bad you won’t be there to see it.”

Roberts opened his mouth to say something, but Faraday fired two shots, one through each eye. He stayed seated, even after Roberts fell back, just breathing until he was able to lower his pistols into his lap.

“There’s more out there,” the stable owner’s voice cut through the white noise in his brain and Faraday spun around, one gun pointed at the man. He held his hands up, nodding towards the open barn door towards town, “They’ll be coming here quick with all of those gunshots. You don’t have much time.”

“How many?” Faraday stuck Ethel back into her holster so he could push himself unsteadily to his feet while keeping Maria pointed at the stable owner.

“Not including these men? Another twenty and that’s not including the local officers,” the man sounded almost sad. “All my horses are out in the corrals.”

“I wasn’t planning on walking away today,” Faraday holstered Maria as well, looking out the door at the men running down the street. “I just had a beef with their leader. There’s some coin in my bags, should pay for damages. Sorry about all this.”

“What are you going to do?” the man sounded horrified.

“Turning myself in,” Faraday took a deep breath and walked to the doors. As soon as he reached them, he took another deep breath and put his hands up, stepping out into the sunlight.

All the men running down the street stopped, guns pointing at Faraday as he stopped, a few feet outside the barn. Most were Blackstones, but a few were local officers. Faraday kept his hands up, looking over the group and took another deep breath, “You’ll find seven dead Blackstones inside. I’m turning myself in willingly to the sheriff of this town.”

“Deputy, go take his guns,” the sheriff, a gruff looking man, nodded to one of his own. A Blackstone stepped forward as well, glaring at the deputy. The sheriff was looking pissed now, “He’s turning himself over to me, Blackstones. He killed seven men in my town, so he’s mine. Stealing a horse from your boss is nothing compared to this.”

“There’s twenty of us, sheriff. You really wanna try this?” a Blackstone, possibly the leader, laughed at the sheriff.

“You fire on me and my men and the Marshalls will take it out of Bogue’s hide. He may have everyone down South scared, but here we’ve got spines,” the sheriff showed teeth with his smile, nodding to his deputy who continued forward. Right before the deputy reached him, a gun went off and something bit into his left shoulder, dropping him to the dirt. The deputy lunged forward, throwing himself over Faraday as something took place behind him. There was a lot of yelling going on, but all he could focus on was the pain in his shoulder.

“Gun just went off,” someone was yelling as the deputy was suddenly shoving his hands against Faraday’s shoulder, getting a grunt out of him.

“My one good arm,” Faraday growled against the pain and the deputy laughed.

“Should’ve stayed with my uncle then,” the deputy gave Faraday a quick smile before looking over his shoulder. “He’s bleeding bad!”

“That was a warning shot, sheriff,” the leader was yelling now. “We ride out of town with Faraday and no one else gets hurt.”

“Like hell that’s happening!” the sheriff was laughing now himself. “I feel bad for you boys.”

“And why’s that? We’ve got the upper hand here,” the leader snapped as the deputy shifted so Faraday could see what was going on. All of the sheriff’s men had their hands up, Blackstones around them pointing guns in their faces. Faraday didn’t see how any of them were walking away.

“I said the Marshall’s were going to take it out of Bogue’s hide,” the sheriff was smiling way to big for a man with a shotgun in his face. “Have fun in Hell.”

Guns were going off and the Blackstones were falling, the sheriff and his men untouched. Faraday watched with wide eyes as three riders rode from side alleys, guns resting against shoulders as two more stepped out of buildings and one appeared on the rooftop nearby.

“Sorry about that, Henry,” Jack Horne leaned against his saddle horn as he came abreast with the sheriff. “Glad you decided to play along though.”

“Anything for my brother. Been a while since we had some excitement up here, anyway,” the sheriff, Henry laughed before nodding to where Faraday was still on the ground and the deputy was leaning over him. “Get him out of here. I see what you mean by trouble.”

“Red, go get the horses,” Sam Chisolm called up to the man on the roof as he nudged his horse up to the sheriff and passed him a bag of coin. “Should cover just about everything. Billy, get his bags from the barn.”

The Asian nodded as Vasquez drew level with the deputy and Faraday, looking worried, “You can’t go anywhere, guero.”

Faraday stared up at him, still processing, “What. The. Hell.”


	13. What We Lost in the Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the upcoming chapters, I'm going to be covering some pretty intense to explain why Faraday is the way he is. Brace yourself. Also, I am adding/changing some tags to reflect the intenseness that is coming. I hope you enjoy!

“What. The. Hell.” Faraday was pretty sure this was the strangest turn of events in his life. “What the hell.”

Billy shook his head as he walked past them, smiling softly as Vasquez knelt down by the deputy, “Did you hit your head again?”

“I’m thinking it was hit harder than I thought,” Faraday was glad to find his voice was able to stay casual even though he was panicking inside. Why were they here? Why had they come?

“Horne, he got hit in the head again,” Vasquez called over his shoulder.

“Any blood?” Horne looked up from where he was talking to the sheriff, Henry.

“No, sir,” the deputy called. “Although he might be a little shaken. Bit of blood loss, too.”

“I’m coming,” Horne sighed, dismounting and making his way over. Sam and Goody dismounted as well, walking a little slower with Henry.

“What the hell,” Faraday shook his head before trying to sit up. No one was shooting at him, so he figured he could at least do that. The deputy and Vasquez just pushed him back down. He bared his teeth at them, “Its just a hole. Let me sit up.”

“Stay down, you idiot. It’s a hole that’s bleeding,” the deputy sighed at him. Faraday took that as a challenge and made himself faster than the two could react to. Of course, using his arms put him in a world of hurt, but he could live with pain. He always had. The world spun a little but it didn’t try to run away from him so he figured it was a fair payoff.

“You are touched in the head, Mr. Faraday,” Horne appeared in front of him, bag at his side as he pressed his own hands to Faraday’s shoulder. “Hole in the back, Toby?”

“Through and through,” the deputy, Toby, spoke up from behind him. “Looks to be in the meat mainly from this side.”

“I’d say the same,” Horne nodded, removing his hands to dig through his bag. “Will pad it up for now, ride back out to the cabin and fix it up there. Vas, brace him.”

“Horne and Billy will pick up the supplies we needed, the rest of us will ride with you,” Sam appeared behind Horne as a strong arm, probably Vasquez’s, braced itself along Faraday’s lower back. “Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Faraday. You move fast for a gimp man.”

“You followed me,” Faraday finally felt his brain catching up. “You followed me!”

“We did not, Mr. Faraday. We were summoned here by Sheriff Horne after a group of Blackstones invaded his town,” Sam was looking smug, a common look for his face. A common, annoying look for his stupid, smug face, “We expected you to be at least another day out. Once again, you have proven me wrong.”

“I aim to be vexing,” Faraday snapped. “I’m not going with you.”

“Oh, for the love all that is good and holy!” Goody threw up his hands. “We are trying to help you, Mr. Faraday, and you treat us as if we are the walk to the gallows.”

“No one ever just helps,” Faraday snarled, jerking away from Horne as he pressed a wad of cloth to his shoulder. “Stop that! Just stop, all of you! Stop touching me, stop helping me and stop saving me! I don’t need you, I don’t want you and I don’t understand why you don’t get that!”

“Easy there,” Vasquez tried to rest his free hand on Faraday’s less injured shoulder, but the gambler jerked away from him as well, driving his elbow back into the Mexican so he pulled away.

“Stay away, stay away all of you,” Faraday used the separation from Vasquez to push Horne away and draw his pistols, breathing hard. Everyone froze, including Red who had just appeared with the horses including Jack, and Billy who had just exited the barn with the stable owner. Faraday was feeling a little dizzy, but he was not stopping now, “I know how men operate, I’ve seen it every day of my life. Every single day when I was little I watched you walk into my mother’s room and use her for nothing more than ten minutes of relief. And then, when that wasn’t enough, when my mother was only just buried, your kind came for me. And when I fought back, when I refused you, you made sure I would never forget. I know you all saw the scars, I know you all have! You’ve taken my shirt off numerous times, without my consent and you still want me to believe that you are here to help. Men only want one thing and when they can’t have it, they take it!”

“Mr. Faraday, perhaps we should got someplace more private?” Sam took a step closer and Faraday pointed both pistols at him, eyes narrowed.

“Why? You’ve probably told them all already. That why the deputy cover me? Gotta defend the woman’s honor from the bad men?” Faraday was probably doing a good imitation of a cornered wild animal right now and he didn’t care. He was cornered, he was desperate and he was feeling like he was on his last tether, “Your plan to take me in front of a judge would never work! Haven’t you heard, Sam Chisolm? I’m crazy, as crazy as they come!”

“Enough!” Something slammed into Faraday’s side, his pistols being knocked out of his hands as he was pressed into the dirt by the bulk of another body. Vasquez stayed firm as Faraday tried to shake him off, but Vasquez not only had the weight advantage right now, he had the health advantage. Once again, Faraday’s body was failing him. Vasquez glared down at him, eyes burning. Faraday just barred his teeth, knowing exactly what was coming next. Vasquez barred his own teeth right back, “You are a goddamn man, Joshua Faraday!”

Faraday froze, eyes going wide as his body stilled beneath the Mexican. Vasquez didn’t move, just used the opening to continue, “Only Horne has seen you without the shirt on, but sí, he told us. He told us because he was afraid of what would happen if Bogue caught you. We all are! We are protecting you because we all know the fear you have lived with, the fear of never being accepted! And we all promised, the day we started riding together, to never let anyone feel that fear with us ever!”

“Let him up, Vas. The wound’s bleeding something fierce,” Horne’s soft voice cut Vasquez off. The man in question tensed before doing as he was told, sitting there for a second before pulling Faraday up into a sitting position and bracing his arm against Faraday’s back just as before. Faraday stared at him a moment longer before cautiously turning his eyes to the others. There was pity there, but also regret and…acceptance.

“Oh,” Faraday breathed out, head feeling light. “Oh.”

“Billy, Goody, the supplies,” Sam said slowly as Horne carefully approached Faraday. When Faraday didn’t protest, the man set back to work. Goody glanced at Sam before nodding and headed for the general store. Billy dropped the forgotten saddle bags by Sam, sparing at glance at Faraday as he went. When he caught Faraday’s eye, he offered a small smile before following Goody. Sam watched them for a moment before kneeling in the dirt and gathering up Faraday’s pistols, placing them carefully on top of the saddlebags.

From where he was sitting, Faraday could see the names etched into the pearl handles. Maria and Ethel, a matched set. Just names written into the pearl, something pretty on a gun. A million stories told in a million different places. And none of them true.

“Why?” Faraday whispered, eyes focusing on his feet.

“I think, Mr. Faraday, that is a question you have to answer for yourself,” Horne pressed the wad of cloth back against his shoulder, his face kind when Faraday looked up at him. “Its not the cure all. We know its not just all better now, just don’t bite us as much? I think we deserve that much.”

“No one ever just helps,” Faraday said, a repeat of earlier, but now it was empty, lost.

“No, but everyone helps for different reasons,” Horne nodded sagely as used his free hand to gesture to Toby for help. “And I like to think we have suffered enough to know the folly of our peers and not repeat their mistakes. We are not good men by any means, Mr. Faraday, but we are decent people.”


	14. The Memories Still Haunt Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter should answer a lot of your questions, at least with Faraday's background. I promise the next chapter I will have someone wrap Faraday up and make him rest!

It was strange to the others, Faraday thought as he sat quietly in the bed back in the cabin, that he was so quiet and so docile. He hadn’t said a word after talking to Horne, mulling over what the other man had said. He had still resisted when they had helped him stand and he hadn’t let anyone help him get on Jack, but he hadn’t fought when Jack had just followed the others out of town.

It was a new experience for Faraday, people knowing what he was and accepting him. It never happened, never in his 28 years of life had anyone ever known and hadn’t tried to run him out of town. He didn’t know if they all really did accept him, if they didn’t really understand what it was that Horne had told them or if they were just playing the long game here. He didn’t know, but he needed to know.

He had tried to untack Jack when they got back, but Vasquez had put himself between Faraday and the horse and pointed his hand towards the front door. Faraday had just sighed and made his way inside. He was tired, sore and just too overwhelmed to deal with them, so he just went with it. He’d headed right into the room he had been in before, closed the door, kicked off his boots and flopped onto the bed, hoping sleep would take him. It took a while, his brain running in circles over the possibilities before it exhausted itself and he sunk into the darkness.

Even though his body was resting, his mind was not. Past the darkness was memories he had long ago buried, memories that had slowly been creeping towards the surfacing the longer this adventure had carried on. Memories that now were going to remind him where his fear had come from.

He was only four years old when his mother had sat him down and explained to him that he was different. He had a penis and little breasts, even at such a young age. His mother told him that most people only had one, not both. For now, he had to be a little boy. They hide the breasts easily by layering a vest over his shirts for now and then as he got older they bound them. His mother said that if they became too noticeable, he might have to become a woman but she didn’t want to force him to be anyone he didn’t want to be. His mother loved him the only way she knew how, by trying to give him a better life than the one she led.

Faraday liked being a boy. In one town, his mother had made him dress as a girl, to see if that would make it easier for them to stay longer. His mother had started to cough around then, too, something that wouldn’t leave for two years until it killed her. It had been going well till one of his mother’s customers had taken a shine to the younger Faraday “woman” and tried to bed her. They’d escaped town in the dead of the night and that had been the last time his mother had made him be a girl.

In the town his mother died in, the townsfolk were nice, god-fearing people. They were on the bigger side, so the brothel wasn’t shunned like it was in some towns. Faraday’s mother worked for a few months before she took too sick. The doctor did all that he could for her and let Faraday sleep with in his mother’s room because they didn’t have enough money to continue paying rent at the brothel as well as paying the doctor. Faraday was careful to never let anyone see his body the entire time.

His mother passed away when he was 13, in the backroom of the doctor’s house. The pastor paid for her funeral and burial, seeing as Faraday didn’t have much himself. There had been talk, while the funeral was being set up, that Faraday would stay with the pastor and his wife and go to school, continue the education his mother had started. Sadly, or maybe not, Faraday got found out by a man passing through town. Faraday had accidentally pumped into him in the barn and when grabbing at Faraday to teach him a lesson, the man had ripped his shirt. He’d tried to take Faraday right there, in an empty stall and discovered all that was hidden underneath the boy’s clothes. He’d tied Faraday up right there and gotten his friends to show them the freak he had found. From there, things got hazy for Faraday.

The next morning, when the stable owner found the bloody and bruised boy passed out in the stall, he had rushed him to the doctor he had just left only days before. The doctor had stitched the wounds on his chest closed and did what he could for the other injuries, but he could not hide what they meant to the pastor or any of the townsfolk who had stopped by. Before the people could make up their mind as to what to do with the “freak”, the doctor had sent the boy out of town on his own horse and with what coin he could spare.

Without the breasts to hide, it became easier for Faraday to pass as a man. He’d naturally always had the build, other than the breasts and the only other signs of his gender dilemma was the unpleasant monthly visits from mother nature that his mother had at least gotten to coach him through. But he knew better now, knew better than to trust the words that came out of a man’s mouth. Any time someone spotted the bloody clothes he hadn’t had time to clean or the scars on his chest, Faraday ended up running the gauntlet to get out of where ever he was.

Faraday was used to the names that came when someone found out. Freak, sideshow, devil’s spawn, demon, unnatural. He had once or twice met people like him, but that was normally with a circus or one of those sleazy doctor salesmen who were trying to earn money through unsavory methods. They were normally caged or dressed up to showoff their inhuman features. Faraday at least had the opportunity to walk free and he was never going to risk it.

The doctor in the town who patched up his leg only kept him for two weeks because that was the longest he was willing to let Faraday stay after finding the scars on his chest. It wasn’t anything against Faraday at all, but the doctor was worried about word getting out about them. It seemed only the doctors he’d met ever really wanted to help him and wasn’t that just something. Faraday had been trying to leave when Roberts had offered him the job. They’d shared the backroom at the doctor’s office anyway and as far as Faraday knew, the man hadn’t seen anything. It seemed, in the end, he had been wrong. Why Roberts had waited so long to play his cards, Faraday would never know, but now he was in deep because of it.

The memories danced through his dreams, keeping him in a restless sleep so that when he woke later, darkness outside the window of the room, Faraday felt more tired than when he had passed out. He was still face down on the bed, in his clothes and the door was still closed, but he could hear voices just outside his room. That meant the six were out there, waiting for him. Why no one had been in yet was a mystery to him.

Faraday forced himself to sit up, wincing at the red stain on the bed from where his shoulder had rested as the room spun a little. His head was still feeling light so maybe sleeping had been a bad idea. Story of his life. It was now or never, though. He was going to get his answers, even if he didn’t like them. He was done being afraid, done running from these men. He would face them, as he should have in the beginning. He just had to make it out of the room first.


	15. At the Gate

Moving was probably going to be very difficult for the infinite future, Faraday thought to himself as he forced himself to stand up, bracing his lower legs against the bed as he reached out with his better arm to brace, which wasn’t saying much. Standing there, he did a quick tally of his injuries. The bullet hole in his left shoulder seemed to hopefully have stopped bleeding at least and the bandage on his left hand was a little dirty but still in place. His right shoulder was sore, but it was the better of the two arms so he’d just have to make due. No shooting for a while, at least. He couldn’t tell if he was feverish or not, so no clue if the infection was out of the side wound, but it didn’t hurt so that was something. His ribs were unhappy with him, but breathing wasn’t a chore so nothing broken there. His leg was one giant throb of pain, but there really was nothing to be done about it but resting it. He remembered Horne saying something about re-breaking the leg at some point, but he was already down to many limbs to feel comfortable enough for that or having him try to dig out any of the buckshot.  He had a slight headache, so his head was also a little not all there and under it all, his body was just one big ache. So, all in all, not his worst day ever, but far from his best.

Standing was proving to very difficult, Faraday mused to himself as the room tilted a little as he braced himself more securely against the wall. Walking to the door, opening said door and then walking out into the main area might just be what earns him the medal for stupidest human being on the planet, if he hadn’t already won it with the stupid shit he’s been pulling the last few days. He’d let his fears control him, let his paranoia take front and center to common sense and self-preservation. Nothing he could do about it now and he sure wasn’t going to apologize to anyone.

Faraday took a deep breath and forced himself to move across the room to the door. One part at a time. First, get across the room. Second, open door. Third, move into main house. Fourth…..try not to pass out. So far so good and all that.

The door was a welcome support when Faraday reached it, solid and welcoming as only a door can be. He didn’t want to leave it, an anchor for a world that just kept spinning and spinning and spinning. He closed his eyes, breathing through it. Focused on the door and how solid it was. Get his center of balance relocated to within his body and force the pain out while he was even able to. He could only do it for so long, but hopefully it would be long enough to maybe find a surface to pass out on. Maybe.

Opening the door proved a slight challenge. He had to stop leaning on the door in the first place and then pull it open. He shifted his body so that it was leaning against the wall by the door and wrapped his right hand around the hand, turning it slowly before pulling it open. It came easily enough, hinges not making a sound as it shifted away from the door jam. Soft voices were coming from what Faraday remembered to be the general kitchen area. So, not too much farther to go.

Faraday pushed himself away from the wall and shuffled out into the hallway, heading to the wall across from him so that he could brace himself against something. He fell harder against the wall than he wanted to and he froze as the voices fell silent in the kitchen. He was leaning awkwardly against the wall, his door open behind him and no walls from here to the kitchen. There was no way he saw this ending well.

He was saved from having to figure out how to make it any further by Vasquez appearing at the end of the hallway, the frown on his face shifting from confusion to concern as his eyes fell on Faraday. They both just stared at each other, Faraday unsure what he should say and Vasquez probably too stunned to think of anything to say. Horne appeared behind Vasquez, though, and broke the silence for both of them, “Mr. Faraday!”

“I think I’m bleeding,” Faraday said the first thing that came to mind and that got both Horne and Vasquez moving. Vasquez headed right to Faraday, shifting between him and wall to hold him up with a careful arm around his waist.

Horne moved past them, farther down the hallway as he spoke, “Get him into the kitchen, there’s plenty of light there. And don’t let him pass out!”

“Come on, guero, let’s get you to the kitchen,” Vasquez said softly as he used his weight to get Faraday moving. The man was practically lifting Faraday up off the ground to make it easier to move, which Faraday was grateful for, though he would never say it.

“There’s blood on the bed, too,” Faraday grunted as she forced his feet to move, even if Vasquez was carrying him. He still had his pride to think of, if not much else.

“I’ll take care of it,” Billy’s voice spooked Faraday, distracting him from making sure his feet kept moving. Vasquez grunted but kept him upright as Billy slid past, smirking at Faraday as he went, “We have plenty of spare sheets.”

“Fucking hells,” Faraday breathed out as he got his legs steady underneath him again. His left leg was tired from carrying all the weight and his right leg was just one big pain-filled limb.

“Couple more steps, almost there,” Vasquez encouraged, shifting forward once more. Faraday kept his eyes on the ground as they moved forward, letting Vasquez lead him so he could focus on just moving. A chair appeared on the edge of his vision and Vasquez guided him down into it. Once Faraday was sure he wasn’t going to fall over, he tipped his head back up, getting a good look at the space he was in.

The chair he was in was angled a little away from the table so Horne could probably move around him easier. The table was large, big enough for a few more people to be added in around the men sitting there. The kitchen was in the corner of the space, a full sink and oven built in. From what he had seen so far, Faraday figured this was probably used for either group hunting trips or herding cattle. It was comfortable but also very efficient.

Sam was sitting at the other end of the table, hat missing from his head as he observed Faraday, face blank for the moment. Goodnight sat to his right, the chair next to him empty where Faraday figured Billy had probably been sitting. He was smoking one of his cigarettes, eyes looking concerned as he offered Faraday a small smile. Red was leaning against the far wall, looking unamused but nodded at Faraday when the other man looked at him. Vasquez sat down on the right side of Faraday, leaning forward on the table, eyes still filled with concern, “How are we doing, guero?”

“World’s not spinning, so I think I can handle a whiskey, maybe a double,” Faraday made the mistake of trying to shrug with his comment and ended up regretting it as he left shoulder reminded him it had a hole in it. Vasquez was there, a hand on his right shoulder as Faraday cursed under his breath, eyes squeezed closed against the pain.

“I think I have something a little bit better than whiskey for that pain, Mr. Faraday,” Horne’s gentle rumble answered him, something making a soft thunk on the table by him. “Red, heat up some of that stew. Once I get him sewn up, we’ll need to get some food in him.”

“Yes, more stitches,” Faraday grunted, sounding even more sarcastic than he wanted to be.

“Yes, well, not much we can do about that,” Horne laughed and Faraday forced his eyes back open, finding the larger man standing to his left of Faraday, pulling items out of a leather bag. “I’ll need to brace your shoulder back up, but hopefully you’ll still have some use of it or we’ll have to find another way of feeding you.”

“I’ll bite your fingers off if you think any of you are gonna feed me,” Faraday snapped and that got a laugh out of the rest of them.

“For looking like death, you sure know how to threaten a man’s well being, Mr. Faraday,” Goodnight chuckled as he leaned back against his chair. “Must be feeling better. Or mayhaps, just feeling again?”

“None of your business,” Faraday snarled at the man. Some habits die harder than others.

“Right, well, that answers that question,” Sam shook his head. “This time, don’t go running off till the shoulder is healed? We’ll leave you alone till then.”

Faraday opened his mouth to reply, but stopped himself. He was going to try with these men, he’d told himself he was going to. Continuing to be hostile towards them was not helping with that. He let out a deep breath, forcing his shoulders to relax, “I’m not good with people, Mr. Chisholm.”

“Well, I know that,” Sam raised an eyebrow at him, eyes questioning and maybe a bit impressed.

“Look, to expect any apologies for my behavior or Mr. Jack’s in the past few weeks or whatever. I don’t have to explain myself to any of you. But…” Faraday glanced at Horne, then Vasquez before focusing back on Sam. “I would appreciate, maybe, just maybe, if you and yours maybe stuck around for a while, maybe. You seem good in a gun fight and keeping Mr. Jack safe is easier with other people around. He already likes your boy there, so figure I should take into account Mr. Jack’s questionable ability to judge a man.”

“Is this you asking for help, because if it is, might be easier to just ask for help instead of throwing words around,” Sam was smiling now, lips turned up at the ends just a bit.

“I don’t ask for help,” Faraday focused on Horne and  the other man took it as his signal to get to work, moving to pull the shirt and bandages away from the wound in Faraday’s shoulder. “But I might accept it, maybe.”

“We’ll take it, for now,” Goodnight spoke up before Sam could say anything. “You woke up just in time to have a late supper.”

“Right,” Red spoke up from where he stood by the stove. “A late supper.”

“Oh, are we starting this again?” Goodnight turned to the younger man, eyes looking mischievous.           

“Here we go,” Sam sat back, looking amused. Faraday let their conversation flow around him, ignoring the poking Horne was doing to the wound. He also ignored the soft look Vasquez was sending him. Just because he was agreeing to be more agreeable didn’t mean nothing in the long run, not with any of them. He still needed answers and whatever he got would determine where any of them went from here.


	16. I was Drunk Last Night

Faraday could not actually tell you how he got back to bed, but he woke there none the less. He remembered eating the stew that Red had dropped in front of him, after sniffing it and waiting for at least three others to start in on theirs. It took a while, Red and Goodnight had been arguing the entire time over what constitutes as food. As soon as it would die down, Horne would pipe in with some bizarre wilderness recipe that consisted of three types of meat and fat from five other animals. And then they would be off again, Red looking horrified and Goodnight talking about some Cajun delicacy that sounded like animal cruelty.

At some point, he had just blocked them all out after telling them that it was all a waste of food and to shut up before he shoved the entire kitchen down their throats. That had shut them up for five seconds before they were back at it. Vasquez had laughed at him while Sam and Billy had both looked at him like they were contemplating if he was serious or not. He was serious, completely. Just, Horne had given him some good drugs to go with a nice little bottle of whiskey while Vasquez hadn’t been looking. By the time anyone else had realized what the older man had done, Faraday was downing half the bottle and finally feeling like his nerves were settling down.

No one had looked pleased, but Faraday didn’t care. It had been weeks since he had had any whiskey and even though it was cheap, he could not have been happier to have it. He’d drifted after that, not really paying attention to anyone. He faintly recalled possible introducing Horne to Ethel and Maria. Possibly. Vasquez had said something about having three Marias maybe. It was all a little unfocused, but he didn’t care. Why should he care? His arms were useless for the time being, he was bunking down with a rag tag dream team and he had whiskey. Right now, things were looking up.

Possibly why waking up came with a big old wave of paranoia.

He was comfortable, the blankets tangled around him in the way blankets can only be after a good night’s sleep. He was just starting to feel his aching body, which is good in some way, probably. Faraday wasn’t sure, good was something he wasn’t good at. Ha, great he was being humorous now. Going soft, more like. Idiot.

Faraday forced his eyes open, scanning the room. It was the same one he’d woken up in last night. The sheets were different, fresh and not smelling of blood. He was lying on his back, so he had a clear view of his pistols sitting on the dresser across from him. His saddlebags were on the chair by the door and clothes had been laid out on the bedside table. Fresh clothes, clean and possibly new from the looks of the stitching and the lack of stains.

If he listened, really listened, he could make out voices coming from the other side of the door. They weren’t trying to be quiet, but the walls were thick and sturdy so they did a good job of blocking out sound. He wasn’t sure what they were saying or even who they were, but it sounded lively at least. He knew Horne had more pain pills, which would be nice in about an hour at most. The sooner he got up and got the pills, the sooner he could give himself some space.

It had been nice last night, really nice. Yes, he had been drunk and the pain pills had been weird too, but it had been comfortable. He had felt relaxed and content and safe. He hadn’t felt like that in a long time. Years and years ago, camped out by himself in the middle of a desert, his horse nearby, fire burning low and not a soul in sight. He’d relaxed then and he had relaxed last night. It had felt good, no, it had felt great. He had felt like he was apart of something, important even.

And that was where things got weird. He wasn’t good with emotions and feeling like he had last night left him with a weird taste in his mouth. He didn’t know if he liked it or not and that was weird. This whole thing was weird, but until he could actually get around without worrying he’d be forced to cut his arm off, he had to deal with it. So as much as he really wanted to lash out, he could not. He had to force himself to be civil. He had to. To the best of his ability.

Faraday forced himself to get up at that point. He wasn’t good at pep talks, especially not when they were towards himself, so he should use this burst of good vibes to get something done for now. Getting up was easy, getting dressed was another matter entirely. His pants were enough of a struggle with one semi-working arm. The shirt was another matter entirely. At some point, someone had pulled a clean undershirt on over his bandages, so at least he didn’t have to worry about that. What he did have to worry about was the actual shirt. He wasn’t even going to try to pull on the vest that was laid out at with the rest of the clothes. Or the socks. Or the coat. Wow, it was a nice coat too.

Faraday shook his head and focused on getting the shirt on. Or at least, one arm in the shirt. His left arm was firmly strapped to his chest and there was not way he could loosen it to pull the shirt on. So he just pulled it awkwardly over his shoulder and buttoned a few of the bottom buttons on the shirt. It looked weird, he was sure of it but it was better than nothing. In case someone showed up.

He looked at his guns, chewing at his lip, debating if he should just leave them there. He blew out an angry breath after a few minutes before awkwardly pulling the belt on, finding some of the tension leaving his body as he did so. Just because he was trying to do better meant nothing. He would try to trust these men, but he wasn’t about to go anywhere without his guns.

The door was easier this morning to open and he didn’t feel a need to use the wall for support. His body was really starting to hurt now and he was very tempted to go find Horne and ask for some more medicine to make it go away. But as he walked out into the main part of the cabin, he found his courage fading. The front door was open, Vasquez leaning against the railing and smoking a cigarette as he talked to someone out of Faraday’s line of sight. Goodnight and Billy were sitting at the kitchen table, playing some sort of card game. Horne, Sam and Red were all missing, but it all felt too domestic. Too peaceful.

Faraday shook himself before striding through the room and out the front door. He needed to collect himself, needed to remind himself this wasn’t permanent. He earned a grunt of surprise from Vasquez as he walked past, catching Horne and Sam sitting on chairs on the porch out of the corner of his eye. Red was riding back into the yard on his horse and Jack was standing near the porch, watching Faraday with bored eyes. He made a beeline for the horse, knowing Jack hadn’t let him down yet, technically.

The horse was happy to see him, shoving his head gently against Faraday’s outstretched hand, snorting as the man relaxed. Faraday moved closer, pressing his head against Jack’s neck as he ran his hand over the horse’s face. He heard Red’s horse pull to a stop not too far away and a soft thud that signaled Red dismounting but he didn’t turn to look.

He found that his mental footing was on shaky ground as he let himself use Jack as an anchor. These men knew what he was, what sort of thing he had been. And they didn’t have a problem. He needed to know why, needed to know why they were helping him. As much as he wanted to ignore it, he couldn’t.

“Guero?” Vasquez’s voice broke through his thoughts, startling him a little. Faraday forced himself to straighten, still facing Jack as he collected himself.

“Figured you’d want to know, Mr. Faraday,” Sam’s voice came next. “Red just got back from checking town. Miss Emma, our employer, is on her way. She’ll be here in three days.”

“Good,” Faraday breathed out before turning to face the four men who were outside, mask firmly in place. “I need answers.”


	17. I'm Not Perfect, But I Might be OK

Faraday’s statement was met with expectant silence. Sam was sitting forward in his chair while Horne continued to look out over the landscape around them. Vasquez had shifted a little against the railing, like he had thought about going after Faraday for a second before settling back down. Red was now sitting on the railing near Sam and Horne, looking bored as his horse stood nearby, eyes closed. Faraday took a deep breath, eyes darting from each man till they finally settled on Vasquez. The man had been the most honest with him, had been the most understanding of his predicament from the beginning, “Why?”

“That’s a big question, guero,” Vasquez glanced at the others before focusing on Faraday. “I was where you were and a man was kind enough to help me out. I had an idea what was going through your head, so I decided I could be like the man for you and help you out. I don’t regret it.”

“Why? I’m….not right,” Faraday scuffed his foot in the dirt, trying hard to keep up his persona of a tough guy, but was failing epically. He remembered what Vasquez had said, in the dirt road in the middle of town, but he didn’t quite believe it himself.

“You are a man, Joshua,” Vasquez flicked his cigarette butt away before straightening up. “I meant it them and I mean it now, corazon.”

“You’ve been hurt, like the rest of us,” Sam spoke up then, drawing all eyes to him. “We’ve all suffered because we’re different. Color of our skin, what we choose to worship, what side of a war we fought on, hell even who we decide to take in our beds. I can’t say any of us have lived with that fear as long as you have, Mr. Faraday, but we do understand what its like. Not worth ripping ourselves open for, though. At least, not as much as you have in the past few weeks.”

“I am sorry I had to intrude on your privacy,” Horne stood them, moving down the steps slowly towards Faraday. “Those scars look painful. And old. You’ve had them for a long time and that could not have been easy. I can’t do anything for those, but I can help with the leg if you’re wanting some relief there. It won’t be as good as new but it would be better than what it is.”

“I’m not good with people,” Faraday cautiously met Horne’s eyes. “I tend to just shoot them. Force of habit. Really old habit. Since I was 13.”

“Tell us when you’re ready, not before,” Horne cautiously clapped a hand against his good shoulder, smiling. “You need to be fattened up, young man. I can count your ribs easily, which is something I cannot abide. I’ll go whip up a late breakfast.”

With that, the grizzly of a man wandered back into the house, whistling to himself. Red hopped off the railing, stretching and glancing at Faraday, “White men have strange notions. What is right and what is wrong is not a line, is not a shape. Jack also bit Sam this morning. I suggest you have a talk with him about where his teeth belong.”

The Comanche then wandered inside as well, leaving his horse to wander and the others in silence. There was laughter from inside, but three men outside remained silent before Sam stood, looking out at the horizon, “We’ll get you cleared, Mr. Faraday. Until then, I would appreciate if you stayed in our company. How Bogue’s men found us here is still unknown, but word will be getting back to him that a good portion of his men are dead. He’ll be getting desperate and that means he’ll make mistakes. Hopefully we can use those to our advantage.”

“I don’t control the horse,” Faraday grunted as Sam headed inside and the older man laughed, shaking his head and not answering. That left Vasquez, still standing on the porch. The Mexican watched Faraday for a moment before claiming one of the vacated chairs, stretching his legs out and nodding to the chair next to him. Faraday hesitated for a second before moving up the steps and sitting down, tense.

“I don’t bite, guero, unless you ask nicely,” Vasquez smiled brightly at Faraday before pulling out two cigarettes. He held one out to Faraday and the other man took it, raising an eyebrow at the man.

“I just went through a very traumatic couple weeks and you’re trying to be smooth?” Faraday snorted, shaking his head as Vasquez struck a match and lit the two cigarettes.

“You are a good looking man. I got in trouble back home, chased out of town for chasing boys and girls,” Vasquez shrugged, smirking still. “I don’t have good timing, ever.”

“I’m not just gonna be ok overnight, you get that right?” Faraday huffed, taking his cigarette between his lips and looking out at the landscape.

“I would be more concerned if you were,” Vasquez shrugged again. “The others, they will baby you. You might shoot them, which would be funny for me. Like I said, I have been where you are. I did not like being cuddled then either. I flirt enough, it becomes normal again. We talk enough, you feel normal again. I push enough, you start pushing back.”

“That seems stupid to me, but its your head,” Faraday sat back in the chair, grunting as his arm moved too much. “What the hell am I suppose to do with two bum arms?”

“Not run away?” Vasquez laughed as Faraday glared at him. “Rest will do you good. And Mr. Jack as well. He’s a good horse, even if he tries to kill everyone else.”

“First time I saw him, he was bashing a man’s skull in with his hooves,” Faraday smiled fondly at the memory. “He doesn’t like many people. I’m just happy he’s decided to stick around, even if he’s got ideas of his own.”

“You and the horse are loco,” Vasquez scratched at his stomach. “He killed a man and you still tried to ride him?”

“He was the only option at the time and then afterwards it didn’t seem right to just abandon him in the wilderness. He’s a tough boy, but he wanted to stay with me. God only knows why,” Faraday snorted, shaking his head. “A horse got me into this whole situation and a horse got me out. I had a mare, smart old lady, before I came across Jack. She turned at the right moment to take a bullet that was meant for me. How I messed up my leg. Ended up sharing the doc’s back room with Roberts, one of Bogue’s men. Offered me a job and ended up in good old Bogueville.”

“You’re horses always so foolish?” Vasquez glanced at Faraday, eyes bright with understanding.

“Only the good ones,” Faraday shrugged. “Had a gelding that lasted a week. Kept walking into stuff if I wasn’t paying attention. Not very bright at all.”

“My Ale is a good horse, as well,” Vasquez nodded to himself. “Got him after I started ridding with Sam. Mustang, got caught in one of Horne’s traps overnight. One of those where the noose is attached to a young tree. His hind leg was tied to the tree. I cut him free and he followed me back to camp. Haven’t been able to chase him off since.”

“Breakfast is ready, boys. Get it before Billy and Goody eats it all,” Sam popped his head out of the door, looking amused. “For being so dainty, Goody can sure put a lot of food away.”

“He sits around enough, I’m surprised his belly is not bigger than Horne’s,” Vasquez stood and offered a hand to Faraday as Sam disappeared. “They will eat everything if we don’t get in there.”

“I’ve got jerky in my bags if need be,” Faraday hesitated, flicking his cigarette butt away before taking the hand, letting Vasquez help him up. “But something tells me Horne might stab one of them if they don’t leave me anything.”

“Ah, yes, Horne missed his calling in life,” Vasquez laughed as he flicked his cigarette butt away. “Mother hen is what Sam calls him. If we get out timing right, I think we could distract Goody with his tale of how Horne tied him up in his bed over a cold.”

Faraday followed Vasquez inside, surprised to find himself smiling. Its like he said before, he wasn’t going to be a hundred percent overnight. But once he stopped looking for the fight that wasn’t there, he could maybe find himself relaxing just a little bit more than in the past.


	18. I Did Not Sign Up For This

Faraday was able to stay mostly civil for the rest of the day, thanks to the wonderful magic that is medicine and Horne being sent from the alcohol god. The man understood Faraday’s need of the amber liquid and made sure that Faraday got the small bottles of whiskey before he even knew he needed them. Vasquez was not happy about it, but for the reasons Faraday first thought. The Mexican was not happy about Horne medicating the injured man with alcohol but also wanted some of it for himself but had been banned from asking for any. Faraday had looked thoughtfully at the flash Horne had slipped him before supper before passing it to Vasquez, already feeling content and relaxed for the night. Letting Vasquez have a sip or two won’t hurt him none, hopefully.

Vasquez had been right about everyone coddling him and Faraday figured that might have been why Horne had given him the flask. The older man might have noticed Faraday’s fraying nerves at the unusually nice treatment from the others and had figured he could at least delay the inevitable for a little while.

All of them made sure to broadcast their movements, practically stomping everywhere and over exaggerating their gestures when they told stories. They also didn’t whisper, so Faraday caught plenty of conversations he didn’t want to hear. Sam made sure someone was always around Faraday, even if it was at a distance. Horne and Goody had paired up to make sure he was eating enough and Billy made sure he ate it. Red took care of Jack for him and hovered, even if he thought he was being subtle about it. Vasquez did exactly as he said he would, to the horror of the others. Because of that, though, Faraday found himself drifting towards the man more than the others. He even let Vasquez help him back to his room that night, wondering at how these men had gotten so close to him.

Day two started later than day one, mainly because Faraday couldn’t seem to find the energy to get out of bed. His bladder making more noise than his injuries won out in the end and he’d stumbled outside half awake, pants barely on, undershirt untucked and gun belt thrown over his shoulder. He’s pretty sure he made it at least around the side of the cabin but he’s not a hundred percent. He knows where the outhouse is, but he knows he made it no where near it, bladder and body now working together to force the issue and make an ass out of him.

As he stumbled back up onto the porch, someone clearing their throat drew his attention to the fact that there were other people around. He’d been cursing the sun for being so bright and why did it have to be so high in the sky that he couldn’t just shoot it and everyone had heard that. Well, not everyone. Sam was sitting in one the chairs on the porch, looking like he was trying really hard not to laugh. Red was sitting cross legged in the grass by the steps, looking intensely at his arrows.

“You know, Mr. Faraday, that the sun being so high in the sky means that the day has been going about its business for some time,” Sam was definitely laughing at him and Red’s shoulders were shaking, so he was too.

“Not enough whiskey for this shit,” Faraday snapped at no one in particular as he glared at the steps, contemplating his life choices up to this point. From what he could figure, he’d fucked up somewhere majorly to deserve this.

“Horne probably is warming up some food for you, so you’ve got some time to climb that mountain you’re making those steps into,” Sam was smiling now, gentle as can be, which was definitely grating on Faraday’s nerve.

“Whole bottle. A whole, huge bottle,” Faraday snarled this time, forcing himself forward. His leg was not happy at all and he was sure that if Horne or Goody saw him right now, he’d be tied to his bed for the foreseeable future. Of course, the worse option had to appear.

“Have any of you seen…oh, there you are, guero. Horne said your door was open,” Vasquez appeared in the open doorway, looking relaxed in just his pants and a white button up, feet bare and his gun belt and sash missing. “Hungry? I was just going to make some eggs.”

“Whiskey,” Faraday hissed, stopping on the second step from the top to catch his breath.

“He was cursing the sun only moments ago,” Sam offered casually. “I’m debating offering to help him, but he might take the offer from you better.”

“Horne said he’ll give you more drugs if you eat something,” Vasquez moved forward on sure feet, moving to stand on Faraday’s good side, his shoulder bracing under Faraday’s good arm. “Personally, I agree with the whiskey, but we only have so much till Emma brings more. And what did the sun do this time, cabron? Personally, I think it too high in sky.”

“I wanna go back to bed,” Faraday whined as he let Vasquez help him into the house only because he wasn’t getting there fast enough for his liking.

“After we get some food and drugs in you, guero,” Vasquez set him down in a chair at the table, Horne and Goody sitting at the other end reading quietly. They both looked up, curious, and Horne immediately reached down into the leather bag at his feet and set a bottle of pills on the table before going back to his book.

Faraday observed all three of them for a silent moment, Vasquez moving around the stove with relaxed ease, Goody leaning back in his chair as he flipped idly through his book, and Horne leaning forward as he scanned his book more slowly. Faraday set his gun belt on the table next to him, letting his right arm rest there. He felt himself dozing off, head coming down to rest on his right arm, eyes drifting closed. It wasn’t that he felt safe, per say, but it was that he knew these men wouldn’t let anyone past them that meant him harm.

So of course he ruined the moment by drawing his gun when Vasquez dropped a plate of eggs in front of him. At least the man had the sense to drop it a good foot away from him, next to his own plate. The Mexican had a shit-eating grin on his face as Horne and Goody both jumped, eyes on Faraday as he kept his pistol level on the perceived threat that was the plate of eggs. Faraday blinked at slowly, brain finally registering what it was and he lowered his gun, sliding it back into its holster before looking up at Vasquez. Then man took one look at Faraday’s face and started laughing.

Billy chose that moment to appear, grabbing Faraday’s plate from the struggling Vasquez and placing it in front of the intended man before moving around the table to sit by Goody, “That was rude.”

“That was funny,” Vasquez collected himself enough to sit down, grabbing his fork. “He made it easy.”

“Wasn’t gonna shoot him,” Faraday mumbled before digging into his plate.

“He just needs some coffee in him at some point and he’ll be just fine. Man is just tired,” Vasquez pointed his fork at Billy before digging into his plate.

“Eat all of that, Mr. Faraday, and we’ll see about letting you rest somewhere someone won’t startle you,” Horne shot a glare at Vasquez before going back to his book. Billy pulled out a stack of cards from somewhere as Red and Sam moved inside, taking their spots at the table, too. Faraday had no clue what time it was, but all of these men were too chipper for his liking.

Faraday decided to try to ignore it as he ate, Billy dealing himself, Red and Sam into what looked like poker. He was doing well, almost done with the plate of eggs before the domesticity of the whole thing gets to him. He stabbed the fork down harder than he had been planning, surprising himself and everyone else at the loud thunk it made against the plate. He starred at the plate for a second before standing, dropping the fork as he did, “I’m done.”

He scooped up his belt as he shuffled away from the table, faster than anyone was expecting, including himself. He wasn’t sure where he was going and he pulled himself to a stop in the open doorway, realizing his running instincts had kicked in on him. It was a natural response to most everything in his life, but he was trying to change that right now. He took a deep breath and turned around, only to find Horne waiting near his bedroom door like nothing had happened. He shuffled past the dining room, ignoring the eyes on him as he made it to his room.

“I find sleeping with a knife under my pillow is very helpful to a restful night,” Horne said thoughtfully as he led the way into Faraday’s room. “I’d like to check your shoulder tonight, before supper. I’ll wake with enough time, but I think you could use more sleep.”

“I don’t know why I’m so tired,” Faraday dropped his gun belt on the bedside table, sitting down heavily on the bed.

“You’ve been running yourself ragged for weeks and you’ve finally let yourself relax,” Horne held out a pill, which Faraday took and popped into his mouth. Horne then handed a glass of water over, which Faraday took a deep swig from to wash the pill down with before handing it back. Horne set it by the gun belt and moved back to the doorway, “Your body is taking advantage of the situation by forcing you to sleep more than you feel you need. I’ve seen it in soldiers before, more often than I would like, especially after a long battle or campaign. Just get more sleep and hopefully in the next day or so you’ll start feeling better.”

“Not used to people being so nice,” Faraday shifted himself back under the unmade sheets, sticking his head under his pillow to block out what little light filtered into the room. He heard Horne sigh sadly as the door closed and Faraday let himself drift off. Sleep was a nice place to be, anyways.


	19. Someone Has All the Luck

“Time to get up, guero,” a hand lightly touched Faraday’s shoulder, the gentleness of the gesture startling the man awake. He jerked up and couldn’t stop the whimper of pain that escaped him as he remembered why he was in bed. Or, well, his body reminded him. He couldn’t figure out why it hurt so much more than yesterday.

“Easy there, guero,” the hand pressed more firmly against his shoulder, fingers wrapping around it in what was possibly a comforting gesture. “Where does it hurt?”

“I’m one giant fucking bruise,” Faraday grunted out and forced his eyes open. Vas was hovering, but not quite into his personal space. The tense lines around the Mexican’s eyes eased up as Faraday met his gaze with little effort.

“That is your body telling you to rest, guero,” Vas smiled easily, moving away to pick up the water glass from the bedside table. “I have medicine that should help. And then we feed you.”

“Pack of mother hens, all of you,” Faraday sat up slower this time, making sure not to aggravate his injuries any further. “I’m not dying.”

“We know that,” Vas held out a pill and the glass, which Faraday took with only a slight eye roll. “Most of these men, including Billy and Red, are used to a certain level of care when one in their presence is injured or sick. They are also used to the patient acting a certain way. It has been some time since they met someone who ran away from a kind hand.”

“I haven’t tried running anywhere in….three days?” Faraday groused after he swallowed the pill and passed the glass back.

“And I for one am very proud of that,” Vas smiled brightly and Faraday tried to ignore the warm feeling in his chest from the man’s words. “But I can see that it is wearing on you. I was the same way myself once. I know how it feels for force yourself to stay still when your very nature to prowl through the wilds, looking after only yourself. It is a hard habit to break, but very rewarding in the end from my experience.”

“May have worked for you, but its not that simple for all of us,” Faraday growled, averting his eyes and looking down at his hands as they pulled at the edge of the blanket covering him. “Its never simple.”

“It just might be,” Vas tapped Faraday’s chin gently to get the other man to look up. Vas offered a gentle smile before straightening and holding out a hand, “Goodnight is cooking supper, so it should at least taste good. The man has a way with spices, guero, that would make anyone jealous.”

Faraday looked cautiously at the hand before taking it and letting Vas help him up. He was slightly worried with how much trust he was putting in all of these men, especially Vas. It would be so easy, if he was a different nature, to let them have their way. But Faraday came from stronger, sterner and more stubborn cloth. Any kindness his way was taken with a lot of violence and very little thought. Now, though, forcing himself to work with these men rather than against, he had been reminded he could rein in his temper if he wanted. It was something he hadn’t done in years. It rubbed him the wrong way, but it was getting less and less annoying over time. Maybe in a few months he’d stop having to remind himself not to say the mean things that popped into his mind.

“I think he said something about chicken,” Vas kept on chatting as braced Faraday from the side as he got his feet under him. “Which should be good, because he can cook it whole and not cut it down for soup. Goody is good at a lot of dishes, but for some reason not soup.”

“How can a man not do soup?” Faraday grumbled, starting a slow shuffle to the door. His leg was screaming more than it had this morning, but he was pretty good at ignoring it by this point in his life.

“He’s a very special man, guero,” Vas nodded sagely, like this was a fact he had accepted a long time ago. “He has many talents, but what he is lacking is flashier than some of those talents.”

“But soup,” Faraday groused as they side-shuffled out the door. Faraday could hear the others talking in the dining room. It seemed he was the last one to arrive, as was per the usual.

The table was set and everyone else was seated, chatting amicably with each other as Vas helped him into the room and to his seat. They didn’t look up as Vas lowered him into his seat or took his place next to him. Horne just placed a filled plate in front of him and Vas filled his cup. They fitted him easily in, talking around him to each other but also at him, not expecting an answer but keeping him involved while he ate. It was nice, very different from their hovering behaviors from the last few days.

Josh cleaned his plate and waved off Horne’s attempt to refill it, his stomach feeling a little iffy at the moment. Horne and Vas both gave him concerned looks, but didn’t say anything. At least, not yet. They’d probably wait till Horne looked at his injuries later. Faraday didn’t care, just taking in the flow of words around him. He figured his body was just trying to right itself. In time, it would get better.

Horne didn’t let him sit there for long, standing and announcing that it was time someone went back to bed. Vas helped him up while the others wished him goodnight and then went right back to their conversations, but Faraday caught Sam eyeing him critically. Hopefully he didn’t try to join in later. The fewer of them, the better.

Vas got him seated on the bed while Horne got his bag from his room. Vas crouched down by his legs, resting a hand there, “How are you feeling?”

“In pain but…not as much as I feel I should be,” Faraday sighed, watching Horne enter the room and close the door.

“I’d like to check your shoulder,” Horne moved to the bed and set his bag down. “I’m worried about infection. And then tomorrow I’ll be keeping you in the bed. We’ll bring you food, but you seem to be getting worse, Mr. Faraday.”

“I’m just tired, is all,” Faraday frowned, resisting the urge to shrug.

“Let me be the judge of that,” Horne moved to his left shoulder and slowly started to unwrap the bandages there. “Vas, brace him up. When we’re done, I’ll take these out to get washed and you can get him into bed. How’s the stomach feeling, Mr. Faraday?”

“A little off, but not terrible,” Faraday watched Horne work, as his shoulder was finally revealed. Horne had padded it well, and so it took a few more minutes to reveal the injury beneath. The tightening of the lines around Horne’s eyes told Faraday something wasn’t right.

“What did I do now?” Faraday sighed, looking down at the wound himself. The stiches were neat and tidy, but seemed swollen and a little red.

“You did nothing, Mr. Faraday, just something I was worried would happen due to your other injuries having been infected for a time as well,” Horne dug into his bag and pulled out some clean padding. “I’ll need to reopen it tomorrow and see what I can do, but we might have to go in search of a real surgeon if its beyond my skills.”

“As long as I don’t lose my arm, I don’t care,” Faraday flinched as Horne gently prodded the front of the injury before placing the padding against it. “It doesn’t look bad to me.”

“Which is good, we’re catching it early enough,” Horne nodded. “Vas, I’ll put a list together of supplies I’ll need to go in with whomever is collecting Emma. An extra body can go to get them back to me faster. Some quiet might do him good if there’s fewer bodies in the house.”

“I’m not leaving,” Vas grumbled, his grip tightening a little on where he was holding Faraday up.

“And I’m not asking you to. Between the two of us, Mr. Faraday is in good hands,” Horne pressed padding to the back of the shoulder. “Red can get the supplies and come back to help as well. The rest can take their time coming back.”

“And do I get a say in this?” Faraday glared up at Horne.

“I’m sure you would be happier with fewer people hovering, Mr. Faraday,” Horne smiled kindly before starting to wrap the arm again. “Once Miss Emma gets here, I doubt you’ll get much peace at all.”


End file.
